


X-File Sunnydale

by Razial



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files
Genre: Action/Adventure, Dark Past, Drama, F/M, Redemption, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 19:31:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10315400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Razial/pseuds/Razial
Summary: Xander now a part of the X-Files department must return to Sunnydale as part of an investigation and thus confront his old friends and his past.





	

X-File Sunnydale

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the X-files or any characters from them, they belong respectively to Joss Whedon and Chris Carter and the wonderful people at Fox.

Subject: Xander/Willow, Mulder/Scully

 

*

Fox Mulder walked into the basement that happened to be the X files office. His face was grim from the briefing he'd just had with Walter Skinner. The murders were some of the worst he'd ever seen, including his work as a profiler. He noted that Alex and Scully were going through their last case notes. Mulder had been pleased with his choice of bringing Alex into the X-files full time. He had helped them in many cases and helped save many lives. The one thing he wouldn't do was telling them about his past, he refused to say anything about it and Mulder had respected his wishes and not had the gunmen do a little digging. His eyes drifted to Dana briefly before he shook his head and reminded himself that he shouldn't be thinking of his partner in such a fashion.

"Mulder?" his partner asked as she noticed him.

"We got a new case. A lot of murders down in California," he told them both, he noted how Alex's face drained a little.

"Where exactly?" his younger partner asked.

"A small town called Sunnydale," Mulder answered.

Alex shook his head in complete disbelief. He had never thought he would ever go back to Sunnydale. He had done everything he could to distance himself from his past. He had changed his middle name hoping that would stop any of the Scooby gang from coming to find him and now after five years he had no choice but to return. He couldn't say no to any of them or Skinner after everything they had been through.

"Alex are you okay?" he dimly heard Dana ask.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered looking at both of his partners. "I just never thought I'd ever have to go back," he said lost in his own thoughts.

"You used to live there?" Dana asked, slightly worried by the look of pain and confusion that marred her friends face.

"Yes I did, until I was eighteen," he answered standing up. "I had to leave," he added, "they didn't leave me any choice. They all blamed me," he said not realizing he was still talking as he remembered how everyone had blamed him for the fling with Willow and Cordelia's injury. Not one of them, including Willow, had listened to his side of the story. Willow because of her guilt and the rest were just used to blaming him for things that went wrong.

"Who blamed you?" Mulder asked as he stepped closer to his friend noting the distant look he had on him.

Alex finally shook himself out of his revive and thought back about the memories of his past. "Sorry, zoned out there for a sec, what were you saying?" he asked trying to keep the conversation of him.

"Alex, please tell us?" Dana asked, as she stood and moved towards him. "It may help to finally get it off your chest," she continued hoping to coax him out.

"I guess, seen as we're heading to Sunnydale you'll need to know what's there," Alex sighed. "Sunnydale is no ordinary town. It's the location of the Hellmouth," he told them.

"Hellmouth?" Mulder inquired.

"The Hellmouth is a portal leading straight to hell. It draws everything evil to it, mostly vampires and demons. Real ones before either of you accuse me of being crazy. I fought them for three years before I was forced to leave by the very people I fought with," he informed them.

"Why?" Dana asked again.

"Willow was my best friend since we were four. When we became fourteen a new girl came into our lives called Buffy. She just happened to be the Slayer, a girl chosen to fight the forces of darkness. We both decided to help her out after one of our friends, Jessie, was killed by a vampire. Willow used to have a crush on me, but I ignored it because I was scared of ruing out friendship. I know I hurt her by doing it, but I thought it was for best in the long run. Eventually she got over me and started dating a guy named Oz, who also helped us fight. I ended up dating another girl who helped called Cordelia."

Alex finally sat back down, as the allowed the memories to flow through him. He knew no matter what pain he'd feel, once the gate was open it might help to finally tell someone.

"During a real nasty fight with some vamps Willow ended up in the hospital. She was in a coma and I was faced with the fact that I could lose her. I confessed I loved her and she woke up, but she called for Oz so I bottled up my feelings for her again and continued dating Cordelia until homecoming that is," he told them and no matter what guilt he still felt for that advent he couldn't help but smile as he remembered what it felt like to kiss Willow Rosenberg. "Willow and I were changing clothes and we ended up kissing. We tried to stay away from one another, but we couldn't and we continued kissing until we were captured by a vampire named Spike. We thought we were gonna die so we ended up kissing one last time and that was when Oz and Cordelia burst in, intent on rescuing us, Oz just stared at us in horror and Cordelia ran, but she fell through a weak floorboard and impaled herself on a piece of rebar," he stopped talking, as he almost burst our crying.

"Take your time," Dana said, as she understood this wasn't easy for him to talk about.

"Cordelia recovered, but she wouldn't have anything to do with me afterwards. Buffy and Giles blamed me for the whole deal. Oz had always disliked me due to my close connection to Willow, but now it was even worse and Willow shoved all her guilt and anger on me, blaming me for everything. She told me I had pushed her into the fling and I had pursed it. The others all believed her and kept having a go at me. Finally I had enough and I left during the night, not caring if some vamp got lucky and got me," he stopped again taking a deep breath. "I got to Washington and decided to make something of myself. I finished High School and graduated from UVA. I still wanted to help people so I joined the FBI and I tried to cut myself of from my past as much as I could, including changing my middle name in case they tried to track me down," he finished.

"That's a hard story Alex. I never would have thought you had such a painful past. I mean you're always so cheerful, telling jokes to keep things light," Mulder said, as he went through everything he had been told.

"Just a cover, I've always used it, even when I was in Sunnydale," Alex answered. "My past has been nothing but pain, until I met Buffy and then it went to hell again until I joined the FBI," he said with a strained laugh.

Scully shook her head in complete shock at the story of her friend's past. She had never expected such a painful past could be connected to him. She understood now why he never wanted to discuss his past, it was just to painful to go into, though she felt a little hurt that he couldn't confined in them.

"Do you think these murders are connected to his Hellmouth you mentioned?" Mulder asked looking at his watch, knowing Skinner had ordered them to be in Sunnydale as quick as possible.

"It's possible. I suggest that when we get there we find Buffy and the others," Alex suggested.

"You think they'll help?" Dana asked.

"It's what they do, fight the forces of darkness," Alex told them. "Let's get ready," he added. "I'll fill you in more about the Hellmouth on the plane ride."

*

Buffy ducked the quick shot from Giles as they sparred. She quickly dropped to a crouch and kicked out, taking Giles's feet out from him, knocking the former watcher on his butt.

"I think that will do for today, Buffy," Giles said as he tried to catch his breath.

"Good, I have a date with Riley later," Buffy said with a bright smile.

Giles nodded as his slayer exited the room at a slow jog. He knew she enjoyed her dates with the former soldier, but sometimes he wished she would stay serious when they were dealing with slaying business.

"Hey Giles, how did it go?" Willow asked as she entered the training room that was connected to the magic shop Giles owned.

"She's as tough as ever. The joining spell we used to defeat Adam seems to have left no ill effects," Giles said as he pushed himself to his feet.

"That's good to know," she said with a smile.

"Yes it is. I guess we should count ourselves lucky Oz showed up when he did," Giles mused. "He came back at just the right time so we could have the four people we needed to do the spell," he continued.

"Yeah, it was good timing" she said absently.

"I take it things are not going well between you and Oz, now that he is back?" Giles asked.

"They are rocky, scratch that they are very rocky," Willow told him, as she sat on one of the benches. "He really upset me when he told me that he saw Xander in Washington," Willow said, her eyes filling with tears as she thought about her lost friend. "We looked through every files for Alexander Harris and not one of them were our Xander," she said trying to fight her emotions.

"I know. Oz should have known better than to even mention Xander to you," Giles said moving to comfort her. "I know you still sometimes end up crying at nights when you think of him," he told her. "I can't help, but hear you seen that we all live at Buffy's now," he added at her surprised look.

"I can't help it Giles. It's my fault he left," she said, leaning against her friend. "I said so many horrible things to him because I didn't want to deal with my guilt," she continued.

"I know, we can only hope Xander is alive and well somewhere," Giles told her, rocking his friend as she finally let her tears escape.

*

Alex smiled as he noted the way Scully had fallen asleep. Her head was resting on Mulder's shoulder with her fiery red hair that reminded him of Willows strewn over him. Mulder quickly noted the way Alex was looking at him and just shook his head trying not to let his younger partner know how he was affected just by having Scully resting against him.

"How bad do you think this Hellmouth of yours is going to be?" Mulder asked, still piling through everything Alex had explained to them before Scully had fallen asleep.

"It's been five years Mulder. I wouldn't' be surprised to find things had gotten worse. I hope though that the gang found some more help to deal with it," Alex said with a sign, knowing no matter what anger he held for his friends he would never wish any of them any harm especially Willow.

"You still care about them, especially Willow, right?" Mulder asked lightly not wanting to probe.

"Yes I do. I could never live with myself if anything happened to Willow," Alex told his friend. "If all I find when we get there is a," he broke of trying to fight the flood of fear that rushed through him.

"I'm sure she's okay," Mulder tried to reassure his friend.

"I hope so," Alex said. "How long before we get there?" he asked trying to change the subject.

"Another hour and you better get some rest. I doubt we'll have much time once we land," he added.

Alex nodded, as he slid back in his chair and closed his eyes. He dreaded what he'll find in Sunnydale. He prayed to every religion he knew, that Willow was alive and safe.

*

The woman moved slowly through the dark house, granted it was only five in the afternoon, but for some reason none of the lights were working. She heard a couple of floorboards squeak above her and quickly turned around to see a shadow jump out at her. She tried to scream, but fond her voice wouldn't work. The last thing she saw before the darkness overtook her were a pair of red eyes.  
2\. X-Files Sunnydale Chapter 2

Los Angeles International Airport

 

Mulder and Alex were waiting for their luggage, while Scully had gone to find their rental car. Mulder could see that Alex was nervous at being closer to home than he had been in five years.

"You need to relax a bit more," he said to his younger friend,

 

"I can't... not until I get this over with. I have no idea what is going to happen when I see them again," Alex replied. "I guess you could say I'm afraid of going back," he admitted.

 

"It can't be easy... going home and having to face the people who pushed you away," Mulder said as he grabbed his and Scully's bags.

 

Alex removed the rest of their luggage from the carousel. "After everything I've been through, fighting vampires and aliens... facing the end of the world, you'd think I'd be able to confront my friends," Alex said as they made their way to the parking lot.

 

"I think this fear is different than all the things you've been through, this fear is based more on a personal basis," Mulder said.

 

"I guess," Alex sighed not really feeling any better. They grew quiet as Scully pulled up with the rented Ford Taurus. After putting the bags in the trunk they got in and headed to Sunnydale.

The car took off without any of them noticing the tall man watching them from across the parking lot.

 

*

"Hey you ok?" The man spun around to face the tall brunette who was standing behind him. "I told you not to do that anymore Cordelia."

 

"Sorry Wes, I can't help it," Cordelia said with a smile. "What's got you so interested anyway?" she asked.

 

"I know this may sound strange, but I could swore I just saw Xander Harris," Wesley replied looking back the way the car had taken off.

 

Cordelia's eyes narrowed at the mention of her former boyfriend. "Don't even say things like that Wes, we've looked for any sign of Xander and we failed," Cordelia said, a little anger creeping into her voice.

 

"I know, I'm sorry," Wesley said reaching out and brought Cordelia into a fierce hug. Somehow he just couldn't shake the nagging feeling that the man he had seen was Xander. He'd to look into it when he had a chance.

 

*

 

Alex listened as Mulder and Scully talked about some of their past cases which had dealt with serial killers. They both believed that was what they were facing.

 

Alex however knew better, Sunnydale was the home of horrors more dangerous than serial killers. He could tell Mulder had believed some of what he had told him, but not all of it. Scully's disbelief, he had anticipated. She would need solid proof before she believed any of it and he knew both of them would see that proof. He thought about what he would say when he faced his friends. Five years is a long time to let people believe you had either died or vanished from the face of the earth. He knew Buffy would jump on him demanding answers. Giles would be a bit more insightful and listen to what he had to say. If Oz and Cordelia were still in Sunnydale he doubted if either of them would either listen to or believe anything he had to say. The only thing that really mattered was what Willow would say or do. No matter how much time had passed his heart still seemed to belong to his best friend or should he say former best friend? He shook his head, he just didn't know what to expect.

 

"Hey Alex, you awake?" Mulder's voice broke through his train of thought.

 

"Huh?" he asked, looking from Scully to Mulder.

 

"I said do you have anything to add to what we were saying?"

 

"Oh... sorry I kinda zoned out," he admitted somewhat sheepishly. He usually paid attention when his partners and he were discussing the case, but this time it was different. This time the case was in his former hometown, where his past waited for him to face it.

 

"Never mind, we'll discuss this once you've dealt with your friends," Mulder said, hoping things turned out all right.

 

"I'm sorry, I just can't get my mind to focus," Alex apologized.

 

"Don't worry Alex, we understand," Scully tried to reassure their young friend.

 

"This is going to be one of those hard cases," Alex said, looking out of the window.

 

"Because of your friends?" Scully wondered.

 

"Not just them, the fact that the killer could be anything. It's not easy trying to find the right demon or vampire who is responsible for the killings," Alex told them. "I know you guys think it's just a serial killer, but once I've proved to you the existence of vampires and demons you'll see why it's going to be hard to solve this case."

 

"I still have my doubts about this demon thing," Mulder said. "I know to most people that would sound weird. I believe in aliens, but not monsters," he chuckled. "But I guess I just need some proof."

 

"You'll get it Mulder," Alex said, hoping his friends didn't get in over their heads once they reached Sunnydale.

 

*

Willow exited the Magic Box. She was heading to Tara's, so that she could continue her magic lessons. Willow remembered when she'd first met Tara. She had been amazed to find another witch as powerful as Tara and they had instantly become friends. Now Tara was teaching Willow how to use her own powers. It was slow going early on, but things were beginning to get interesting as her powers got stronger. At first Willow had suspected Tara had some other interest in her, but Tara had assured her that while she found Willow attractive she could sense that Willow's heart belonged to someone else.

 

Willow had been a little surprised at the way that Tara had seen through her in a way that Buffy couldn't. Willow was still in love with Xander. Her guilt for causing him to leave Sunnydale was still powerful. She hoped that one day she'd get a chance to put things right with Xander and ask for his forgiveness for her mistake.

She noticed Oz walking towards her. His face with the same impassionate expression he'd had since their break-up after the whole Veruca deal. He'd known some part of her was still madly in love with Xander and that there was nothing he could do about it. He had tried to use that as his defense when he slept with Veruca, saying it was just the wolf part of him, but Willow didn't believe that for a second. If she had slept with Xander during the whole fluke thing she would have just admitted she loved Xander more than Oz and let things take their course. Oz had just tried to control the events surrounding his betrayal. He had tried to use excuses to cover up his mistake and his feelings for the female werewolf. In the end Oz had betrayed her more than she had ever betrayed him, she should have known better than to get involved with him while she was still in love with Xander.

 

"Hey Wills," Oz said, as he finally reached her.

 

"Oz," she replied, not really feeling like talking to him right now.

 

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the coffee shop, to talk about what happened before I left?"

 

"I'm really not in the mood to deal with that stuff right now, maybe later," she replied, hoping he'd drop it.

 

"Fine," he nodded and then took off. She noted the way his demeanor changed and knew he was angry, but at the moment she just didn't care. She had too many things running through her mind. She turned and continued on her way to the campus.

 

*

 

Scully took a quick glance in the back to find that Alex had fallen asleep. She smiled, hoping he would be relaxed when they went to find his friends. She noted the welcome to Sunnydale sign as they entered the town where Alex had grown up and she truly wondered what sort of things they would find here.

 

"I really hope things don't get too bad for Alex," Mulder commented.

 

She looked at her partner and long time friend and smiled, she knew he and Alex had become very close friends since he had joined the X files. They both cared about him. They had both noted that he seemed not to make too many friends beside them and Skinner until Doggette and Reyes had shown up to help find Mulder. They were currently in Florida trying to find Alex Krychek who had been sending Mulder some e-mails detailing Cancer Man's bid to restart the consortium. The fact that the X files now had five members had been surprising to both Mulder and Skinner, but she had welcomed the help. They had also noted that Alex didn't seem to go after too many women, a few had caught his eye but he refused to try and start anything and Scully was beginning to suspect that the girl Xander had mentioned in his story, Willow, still had some hold on his heart. Like Mulder had on hers, she shook her head cursing herself for allowing such a thought to run through her mind, while Mulder was in front of her. The FBI strictly prohibited any relationships between their ranks, sometimes she wished they both could just leave and start a new life, but at the moment that was impossible.

 

"I hope so too," she said, when she noticed Mulder was watching her intently. She wondered if he was thinking the same thing as she had been.

 

"Do you think we'll see any monsters like Alex described?" Mulder asked, looking back to see Alex still out cold in the back seat.

 

"I have my doubts, but seeing as I doubted aliens exist until I met you I wouldn't be surprised if we did see them," Scully said thoughtfully.

 

"I think I'm going to have to agree with Alex, I think this case is really going to be a hard one to crack," Mulder said, as he pulled out a bag of seeds.

 

"We'll just have to wait and see Mulder," Scully said, as they passed the new school.

 

"According to Alex there's a motel on the other side of town. We'll check in and then go to the local police station and see what they have on the murders. Once we've done that, we'll go find Alex's friends and see if they have anything else to add," Mulder told her.

 

"That sounds like a good starting point, but the closer we get to actually finding his friends the more nervous Alex is going to become," Scully replied.

 

"He'll deal," Mulder told her confidently.

 

*

Giles sat down at the table as he read the local newspaper, he sighed as he read up on the latest murder. So far he hadn't had any luck in finding out what was responsible for the latest batch of murders in Sunnydale. He had been tempted to call the council, but he doubted they'd help him or Buffy since she had resigned, after they had refused to help cure Angel. He had supported her decision to break away from the council. Now he was beginning to regret his choice, but Buffy was his slayer and as such he'd support her decisions. His second concern was Willow. Her nightmares about Xander were becoming more frequent. Since he had left, Willow had lost much of her optimism and joy and her guilt was still firmly in place. He hoped one day Xander would find it in himself to return to Sunnydale and sort out the problems that forced him to leave. Granted no one, but Willow seemed to know what they were.

 

Buffy, Oz and Cordelia had all made their own determinations for why he had left, but Willow had confided in both him and Joyce about why she believed he had left and the hard part was Giles believed she was right. He too had put a lot of blame on Xander for the whole fluke business that almost cost Cordelia her life. He remembered how the others had treated him and he could only agree that was what caused him to leave.

 

Joyce was very worried about Willow. Once she had begun to live with her and Buffy it had become clear that Willow was suffering from continued nightmares, concerning their lost friend. Joyce had talked to her a lot, but so far nothing seemed to help her to put the past behind her.

 

He only hoped Xander returned because that was the only way Willow would get any peace.  
3\. X-File Sunnydale Chapter 3

Sunnydale Police Headquarters

 

Mulder lead Scully and Alex to the front desk. "Hi, I'm Agent Mulder, FBI, and these are Agents Harris and Scully. We'd like to speak with Captain Forbes," he said, showing his ID to the officer behind the desk. "Captain Forbes' office is in Robbery/Homicide, second floor. Her office is at the back of the bullpen."

 

*

 

The three agents proceeded to Captain Forbes' office. "And what are three feds doing in Sunnydale?" The woman asked with a cold glare. "We've been sent to help solve the recent series of murders in this area. We'd like to talk to the detectives who are working the case," Mulder replied, fighting to suppress a frown. "Follow me," the woman ordered as she headed toward the desk where two detectives were seated. To Mulder both appeared to be slackers. They were absently running quick scans through the folders in front of them.

 

"Jenkins, Wilks," the woman barked. "These are feds, here to help with your case."

 

"Great," Wilks muttered under his breath.

 

"Anything else you need?" The Captain asked.

 

"Not at the moment," Mulder answered. "But if we do, I'll let you know," he added, hiding a grin at the woman's frown as she turned to walk away.

 

"So what do you wanna know?" Jenkins asked.

 

"We just want to see the all the reports on the killings you have so far," Alex said, stepping forward trying to stay professional and keep his personal feelings locked away.

 

"You can use that empty desk over there. Take a seat. We'll be back in a minute," Wilks said with a nod as they gathered the reports.

 

*

 

Scully, Mulder and Alex crossed the bullpen. "This place is still a dump," Alex commentated as he looked around.

 

"You mean it's always like this?" Scully asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

"Yeah, they don't react very fast to night calls either. The Sunnydale PD learned pretty fast that's answering to night calls will get you killed," he answered with a shake of his head.

 

"I doubt we'll find much then in their reports, will we?" Mulder asked.

 

*

 

Willow entered the dorm still feeling quite depressed after her talk with Oz. She didn't understand why he persisted in trying to talk about the past. She had put most of it behind her, except everything to do with Xander, no matter what had transpired since they met Buffy she couldn't find it in herself to hate or forget him. She hoped he felt the same wherever he was.

 

"Hey Wills?" Buffy's all too bright voice broke through her revive. She looked up to see Buffy walking towards her with Riley close behind; she tried to look happy so she didn't spoil Buffy's big date. Her first since they'd dealt with Adam.

 

"You okay?" Buffy asked as she took a closer look at her friend.

 

"Yeah, I'm fine," Willow said focusing on sounding happy. "I'm going to see Tara," she added, hoping to put her friend of asking anymore questions.

 

"Okay, I'll see you later," Buffy said just a little too cheerfully for Willow, who sighed as she watched the two leave hand in hand. She shook her head as she felt a dull ache in her chest. All she wanted was a relationship like the one her friend had, but the man she wanted it with was nowhere to be found.

 

*

 

As Willow continued to Tara's room, she tried to keep her thoughts of Xander and Oz at the back of her mind. She took a deep breath and then knocked on her friend's door.

 

"Hey W... Willow," the blond witch said with a smile, which Willow managed to return. Tara could always seem to bring out a light mood, no matter what was happening. It was one of the things Willow liked best about her. "Tara," Willow replied as Tara stepped back to allow her to enter the room.

 

"Y... you ready for some more practice?" she asked as shut the door.

 

"Yeah, I need to get my mind on something else other than the past," she sighed, as she sat on the bed.

 

"What are you thinking about this time?" Tara asked, saddened to see her friend still plagued by her past.

 

"Oz," she replied simply.

 

Tara nodded quickly, understanding why her friend was currently distracted and thinking about the past. Since Oz's return he seemed determined to revive his relationship with Willow. Tara was beginning to really dislike him. Willow had told her everything that had happened between her and Oz before he left, including the incident with Veruca. The events surrounding Willow's brush with death at the hands of the female werewolf had scarred her friend deeply. Oz had left in an attempt to resolve the feelings of guilt and overwhelming grief after killing Veruca and almost killing Willow. No one had been there to help Willow with her grief, especially not the one person who could heal Willow's soul completely. She prayed that one day Xander would find it within himself, to put the events after the so called fluke behind him and return to put things right between him and Willow.

 

*

 

"Okay, I think we've gone over everything they have. How about we go get something to eat?" Mulder said, as he closed the file he had been reading from.

 

"Sounds good to me," Alex said, hoping to delay the meeting with his past.

 

"Any suggestions?" Scully asked, as all three of them stood and began to leave.

 

"Yeah, we'll go to the coffee shop. They serve the best food around here," Alex answered with a grin.

 

"Lead the way," Scully said, as she caught Mulder's eye.

 

"Then we can go and find your friends," Mulder decided to add, as a reminder to his friend.

 

Xander nodded, trying to keep his feelings under wraps and his concentration steady, but he was finding it harder and harder the closer it got to actually finding his friends.

 

"By the way Alex, do you know how to find your friends? I mean not everything will be the same as it was when you were last here," Scully asked.

 

"We'll visit Mrs. Summers, she's bound to know where Buffy and the gang hang out," Alex said, looking forward to seeing Buffy's mom again.

 

"Who is Mrs. Summers?" Scully asked.

 

"Buffy's mom," Alex replied absently, as his mind was flooded with memories of the past.

 

"Maybe we should go now Alex, it's obvious you're getting very stressed," Scully suggested.

 

"Yeah, maybe it would be better," Alex nodded, as he turned back around and headed for Buffy's house, all the while trying to stop the thunderous beating of his heart.

 

"Alex, does Mrs. Summers know that her daughter is the Slayer?" Mulder asked, hoping to keep his friend talking so he couldn't dwell too much on his thoughts.

 

"Yeah, she didn't exactly react too well to it, but they got it sorted out. I guess I'm about to find out how Buffy felt, when she came back after she ran away," Alex replied, as he remembered the events after Acathla.

 

Neither Mulder nor Scully knew what to say to their young friend so they decided just to quietly follow him, hoping things wouldn't be as bad as he feared they'd be.

 

*

 

Joyce Summers was sitting quietly in her living room, watching Passions. She was hoping to have a talk with Buffy about Willow when her daughter returned. She was getting more and more worried about the young redhead. A loud knock at the door broke into her thoughts. No one was due back yet. Rupert would still be at the magic shop, Buffy was supposed to be on a date with Riley and she guessed Willow was at college. She stood, hit record on her VCR and made her way to the door. She was surprised to find two well dressed people standing there. "Can I help you?" she inquired.

 

"My name is Agent Mulder of the FBI and this is my partner Agent Scully, we're looking for your daughter Buffy Summers," Mulder replied showing her his ID.

 

Joyce was shocked, FBI agents in Sunnydale, she shook her head and stared at the two agents. "What do you want with my daughter?" she asked with a frown.

 

"Don't worry Mrs. Summers she isn't in any danger or trouble. We were told she may be able to help us solve a recent series of murders," Scully told her.

 

"Told by whom?" Joyce asked.

 

"By me Mrs. Summers," said a new voice.

 

Joyce watched as the two agents stood apart to reveal a third man standing behind them, his features were very familiar to her. As he raised his head to face her she stared right into his brown eyes and instantly recognized him. "Xander," she gasped shocked.

 

Alex nodded his head as he watched the shock begin to drain from Joyce's face to be replaced by a large smile. He was surprised when she all but ran out of the house to embrace him in warm hug.

 

"Welcome home" she whispered in his ear, as he returned the hug, relived to find she held no ill will towards him for leaving.  
4\. Chapter 4

Joyce finally pulled back and took a good look at Xander. His hair was cut short, but still had the same darkness to it that she had always liked. His eyes, although unchanged, held more pain and anger than she ever thought he was cable of, but it was obvious to her none of it was directed at her. "Please come in. I think we need to talk before you go looking for the others, especially Buffy," she told him.

Alex nodded, knowing Joyce was right. He had to know how things had changed and how the others were doing. He followed her back into the house. He motioned for Mulder and Scully to follow him and that they did make sure to keep quite.

Joyce led the three of them into the kitchen, where she quickly set about making a pot of tea. "Xander," she started, but Alex couldn't help himself to interrupt her. He had to know the answer to the one question he had feared. "Mrs. Summers, please before we start can you tell me if Willow is okay?" he asked, his fear clear in his eyes.

Joyce almost smiled at the question, until she noted just how badly the question was playing on the young man's mind. He was terrified to learn something horrible had happened to her. It gave her hope that things between the two could finally be put right and both could then get some peace. "She's fine, Xander. She is alive and well," she reassured him and she noted how he relaxed as she answered him and sat heavily on one of her stools.

"Good," he said.

"Xander, where have you been for the past five years?" she asked, deciding to get right to the point.

"I've been living in Washington D.C. I changed my middle name, so none of you guys could track me down," he answered.

"Why?" she asked.

"I didn't want to face any of you. After all the blaming and anger I just didn't want to deal with it anymore," he told her. "Everyone blamed me for what happened, not one of them would listen to me. Willow was too caught up in her guilt to be any help," he explained.

"I know Willow was the only one who, after you left, knew the real reasons why you had left, she told both me and Rupert," Joyce told him.

"Did Giles listen? He blamed me just as much as the others," he asked.

"Yes, after you left, he let his anger at what had happened go and he realized how badly they had reacted," she explained, as she made them each a cup of tea. "He used a lot of resources to try and find you, but it was as if you had vanished and now at least I know why," she finished, as she finally sat as well.

"I felt I had to start over," he explained. "The people I cared about had all turned on me and not one of them would hear my side," he added, as he remembered those painful days after being caught with Willow.

"Willow was devastated after you left. It took weeks before she realized you weren't coming back. She tried to make the others understand, but I'm afraid they wouldn't listen. Only me and Giles listened because we knew how much of your lives were tangled up with each other. She's had no peace since you left," Joyce told him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"She's been having constant nightmares about what happened. When you left it was as if a part of her had died. She only made one or two friends since you left and hasn't had any romantic relationships since she broke up with Oz. Her heart is sealed and I doubt it will unseal until you come back to her," Joyce informed him.

"It's been the same for me. I've only made friends with the five people I work with and I haven't had any girlfriends since leaving. One or two got my attention, but that was as far as it'd go. My heart belongs to Willow," Alex told her.

Joyce listened to this and smiled gently. It was as she had always hoped. There was hope for Willow and Xander. All they had to do was get them talking and things would go from there. She knew Buffy wouldn't be too happy about it, but it was Willow's happiness that was at stake here. Joyce didn't like to think ill of her own daughter, but she knew Buffy had become almost consumed by her role of the slayer. What time she had left she put into her relationship with Riley. She couldn't see the hole her friend was trapped in. Only Tara had any real clue as to what Willow needed to be happy again and now the solution was sitting in front of her. She decided it was up to her to make sure things ran smoothly when Alex met with the rest of the group. "I'll take you to the magic box. That's where the group hangs out these days. Rupert brought it after the school was blown up."

"Makes sense," Alex said with a small smile.

"First though, I think it would be better if you weren't dressed so seriously," Joyce said, looking over Xander and his friends.

"Standard issue clothes for an Agent," Alex told her.

"I think it would be better if you looked a bit more casual, especially if you want help from Buffy," Joyce told him.

"I think I'm gonna need all the credibility I can get. So I'm staying with the suit Xander replied.

Mulder looked at Scully who seemed to be trying hard not to burst out laughing. He shrugged as he removed his tie and shirt. Joyce did laugh as she noted the ‘I believe in aliens' t-shirt, Mulder was wearing.

"Much better," she nodded as she grabbed her coat and keys as she led them out of the house. "You can leave your shirt and tie in the car," she told him, hoping thing would run smoothly when they arrived at the magic box.

*

Three men met in one of the back rooms of the largest butcher shop in Sunnydale. The first was quite tall with short brown hair and piercing blue eyes, the second was smaller with hard black hair and green eyes and the last was an older, chain smoking gentleman. "Our contacts in the police department seem to be keeping the few good cops they have distracted," the first reported.

"Good, we don't want any interruptions, this operation must not fail," the older man told them.

"One problem though sir. Mulder, Scully and Harris are here," the third reported out. "We have taken every precaution to make sure no one can trace our efforts here. This butcher shop provides us with a perfect cover. Anyone with even the slightest hint of our plans has been taken care off," the older gentlemen replied.

"If they do find something?" the first asked.

"We have lost too much due to their interference and I will not tolerate it anymore," the cancer man said before leaving.

"Do you think he means it?" the first asked.

"What?" the second asked, as they began to walk away

"That we're to take out Mulder and his partners, what about all that shit about making his quest a religion if we nail him," the first answered.

"I guess they seem to think the risk is worth it now," the second man replied.

*

Buffy walked into the Magic Box, followed closely by Riley. They both seemed annoyed to be there. "Do you want to tell me why you interrupted our date, Giles?"

"I believe we need to spend a bit more time investigating the recent series of murders. So far we've had no luck and to be honest I am becoming quite frustrated," Giles told her, ignoring the glare he received from his slayer.

The door opened and Oz silently made his way over to the table and sat down. He ignored the others as they continued to argue. He was too busy trying to come up with a way to get Willow to think about restarting their relationship to pay any real attention what Buffy and Giles were arguing about. He was getting pretty annoyed with the way she kept avoiding to spend any time alone with him. They had hardly talked about what had happened before he had left. Willow's new friend Tara was not making things any easier for him. She seemed determined to keep him from making any connection with his former girlfriend.

"Buffy please, solving these murders is more important at the moment," Giles said, raising his voice slightly.

Before Buffy could respond the door opened again to reveal Joyce followed closely by two men and a woman, one of the men was wearing a very funny looking t-shirt which almost made everyone laugh, including Oz.

"Something wrong mom?" Buffy asked, as she walked towards her. "Buffy I think you'd better call Willow and have her and Tara met us here as soon as possible."

"Why?" Buffy asked, as she eyed the three people who had arrived with her mother. One of men seemed slightly familiar to her, but she couldn't place where she had seen him before.

"Just do it Buffy. Giles you better make everyone a cup of tea, this is going to be a long day," Joyce said.

Giles nodded knowing when and when not to ask questions of Joyce Summers. He quickly got the kettle he kept on the small table at the side of the store.

Oz took a quick look over the new arrivals sensing no danger from them, except a small bit of anger from the smaller of the two men.

"Take a seat at the counter. Willow and Tara won't be long," Joyce said, as she turned to face Alex and his friends."And try to relax," she added, as she noted the fact that Xander seemed far too tense. She could understand most of what he was feeling. He had explained a bit more of what had happened before he had left from his perspective. From the amount of anger and pain that had been placed into his voice it was clear the memories of those events were still affecting him today.

*

Willow walked as fast as she could towards the Magic Box. Tara was having a hard time keeping up. Willow hardly noticed that something was pushing her onwards to get to the shop as quickly as possible. As she rounded the corner she felt a jolt of excitement run through her.

Tara had noted the way Willow seemed to be pushing herself faster and faster. It was if something wanted her to be at the shop faster than they were going. As they entered the shop they noted the three strangers sitting at the counter. Willow looked over them until she locked eyes with the smaller of the two men. His eyes seemed to bore into hers and she could tell hers was having the same effect on him. "Xander?" she half whispered.

"Willow," the man replied as he stood up.  
5\. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Everyone in the store stopped dead as the two names were exchanged. Buffy's eyes narrowed dangerously, as she heard her former friends name come from Willow. She faced the man she had found familiar and now that she knew what to look for she was shocked to see it was Xander Harris standing by the counter. Her Slayer hearing caught a low growl and She looked around and saw Oz glaring with barely concealed hate:

Oz couldn't believe it, the bastard had come back and he knew without a doubt that any chance he had of getting Willow back had just turned to dust. He had never forgiven Xander for getting between him and Willow: it hadn't mattered that Xander had left Sunnydale three weeks after the fluke. Willow had instantly become unreachable once it became clear Xander wouldn't be back.

Giles couldn't believe Xander was back. He not only looked older and more mature, but the way he was dressed clearly stated THAT Xander had become more than the sex crazed teenage joker he had been before his departure. He couldn't keep the smile off his face, with Xander back he knew Willow could put things right and finally find some peace.

Riley looked between the group a bit confused as to what was exactly going on: he'd heard Buffy's stories about Xander when he had first gotten involved with her, But the man in front of them didn't look anything like the boy she had described.

Mulder noted that Buffy seemed somewhat angry at his friend's return, but it was the young man seated at the table that gave him the most concern. His face was a mask of complete hate. He knew Scully could see it as well and he wondered how bad things were going to get before they could talk about the murders.

Scully didn't dare take her eyes of the young man at the table. It was clear to her that he held nothing but hate and contempt towards her friend and she was determined he wouldn't get in the way of what was clearly an important reunion.

Tara smiled wildly as the name of the man left her friend's lips. He was back and that meant finally Willow could find peace and put her soul at rest. She saw the look of hate on Oz's face and anger on Buffy's, but she knew nothing would stop Willow from putting things right.

*

Willow couldn't pull her eyes from Xander's and to be honest she didn't want too. She would drown in his eyes if she could, but she knew that wasn't a good idea, not at the moment anyway. He was here, her dreams and wishes had been answered and now she had her chance to heal the hole in her heart and the one she hoped was in Xander's as well.

Xander made a move towards his long time friend then stopped as he saw a few tears begin to streak down her face. He had always hated to see Willow cry and even now he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and comfort her. He took another step forward before having his path blocked by an angry Buffy.

"What the hell are you doing back here?" she demanded.

"I'm back for two reasons Buff. One is to put my past to rest and the second is a bit more serious," Xander replied, feeling no reason for hesitation in answering her.

"Which is?" Giles asked, in a more calm tone of voice.

"We're here to solve the resent murders, Giles," Xander replied turning to face the former watcher.

"Why is it any of your concern?" Buffy asked, as Tara guided Willow into the store.

"Maybe I can answer that," Mulder said, deciding to get involved.

"And who are you?" Oz asked his tone surprisingly clear.

"I'm Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI and this is my partner Dana Scully... you already know our other partner," he answered, nodding in Xander's direction surprising everyone including Willow who was watching everything closely.

"Xander's an FBI agent... You're kidding right?" Oz asked, in a brittle tone.

"No I am not. He's a very good agent. One of the best I've worked with and me and Dana owe him our lives twice over," Mulder answered, shooting the young man a hard glare.

Giles was clearly surprised at the level of respect in the tall man's voice. It was now very clear that Xander had come a long way since leaving Sunnydale. He hoped things wouldn't get too out of control, Oz's tone clearly told him what he thought of Xander's return. He looked over at Joyce and could see she was having a few quiet words with Willow, who was staring intently at Xander, as he watched Buffy and Oz.

"I believe we should all sit down and discuss the murders first and then we can leave you to deal with the more private issue's you clearly have," Scully suggested.

"Yes I think that would be best," said Giles, glad to have some help in solving the murders.

Buffy looked between the small red head and her watcher and finally nodded, deciding that the rest of their business could wait. If they could solve the murders, maybe then she and Riley could have some more alone time. She decided to concentrate on that and not Xander's return and the effect it was having on Willow.  
6\. Chapter 6

X-File Sunnydale Chapter 6

 

"So what do you have on the murders, Mr. Giles?" Mulder asked, deciding to break the uncomfortable silence that had descended onto them.

"Not much I'm afraid. All we have is that they are both vampire and demon killings. Which is unusual," Giles answered, forgetting the agents hadn't lived in Sunnydale and wouldn't know about the Hellmouth.

"Why is that unusual?" Mulder asked. "According to Alex, this place is filled with those sorts of things," he added as an afterthought.

"Hmm yes true, demon and vampire killings are common, but not a killing which has been committed by both," Giles answered.

"Have you seen something like this before?" Mulder asked the next question.

"A couple of years after Xander left there was a government operation called 'The Initiave', that's how Riley came to Sunnydale.

Riley stepped forward and explained about the Initiave and Adam.

***

About half an hour later Mulder nodded in comprehension. "That explains a few things."

"Do you think someone's decided to explore using demons and vampires as supersoldiers?" Scully asked.

Finally hearing the full story of the Initiave had diverted Oz's attention from glaring at Xander. "I wouldn't put it past them. They did enough tests on me when I was their prisoner."

"Do you have any other leads?" Xander asked.

"Not at the moment. There are no connections between the victims," Giles replied leaning back into his seat.

"Why don't we go over the police reports? Maybe they missed something," Xander said, handing over the reports he had copied.

Giles was a bit surprised to be handed real reports from the police. Usually Willow would hack into the police files. He began to read the reports, hoping to find some clue as to what was going on.

Willow couldn't stop herself from watching Xander. He carried himself so differently now. He really had changed and it was clear to her it was for the better. His entire demeanor was one of confidence, something the old Xander had never had. She wished she had been there to see him go through this change.

She shook her head and tried to concentrate on the murders they were trying to solve. She knew she would have her chance to put things right with Xander. She was also fully aware of Oz's renewed hatred, but at that moment she didn't care. She had what she wanted. Xander was back.

"Why did the FBI send you here? I mean there have been a lot of murders here and they haven't sent anyone out before?" Buffy asked her frown at Xander's return still in place.

"It's the nature of the murders Miss Summers. We are part of a unit within the FBI that investigates strange events," Scully answered, not liking Buffy's attitude.

"And how did Xander get involved with you?" Buffy wondered.

"We were assigned to the same case and he saved my life. Mulder was impressed at the way he handled himself and so he had him reassigned to our unit," Scully replied.

"I have to say these reports are even worse than usual," Giles commented.

"Maybe someone in the department knows what's really going on and is making sure nothing gets discovered," Xander put in, as he took a quick look to where Willow was sitting.

"Possibly," Giles mused, standing up and removing his glasses.

"Are you sure there are no connections between the victims, anything at all?" Mulder asked.

"Not that we could see. Except that they all were customers of the new butchers shop that opened recently," Giles told them. "But half the people in town are customers there."

"Where were the victims last seen before they were murdered?" Scully questioned.

Buffy checked the reports. "Do you believe the answer to that will uncover some answers?" Buffy asked doubtfully.

"It may, the answers are there, you just have to know where to look," Scully shot back.

Mulder smiled at hearing that line come out of Scully. She had used that same line on him when they had first met. He still found it amazing how much that meeting had changed his life. It had given him his hope back. To be honest Scully had brought him back from the abyss and made him want to go on living. He now had quite a few friends and people he trusted where before he had met Scully he had none.

His feelings for Scully were as strong as he believed they could get, but he knew he couldn't do anything about it. The FBI regulations would never allow it. He frowned hating the fact that he couldn't tell her how he felt. He knew Alex could tell he had feelings for their red headed partner, but so far he had kept quite.

"They were seen in different locations, no match... So what now, we're still nowhere Giles, even with three hotshot FBI agents helping?" Buffy asked, looking towards Xander.

"Buffy," her mother chastised. "Show a little more respect for our guests."

"But..." Buffy went to argue until she caught her mother's glare. She looked away, hating it when her mother was mad at her. "Sorry," she mumbled to the two agents and her former friend.

"It's okay, we're used to been unwelcome," Mulder said with a smile.

"You are not unwelcome Mr. Mulder. We can use all the help we can get to solve these murders," Giles said facing them again.

"We're going to check out the victims' families and see if they have any information the cops decided to leave out," Mulder told them, while standing up. "We'll be back later," he said as Scully joined him.

"Yeah you will. I'm taking you guys on a Vampire hunt, just to prove what I told you was true," Xander told them both, having made no move to stand.

Giles spoke up.

"Why don't you go along with Buffy instead? I'd like her to stop in at Willie's and find out if anyone's trying to organize the demon and vampire population."

"Should be fun," Mulder said with a smirk, as he led Scully towards the door.

"Mulder, we're not on vacation here," Scully said, fighting a smile at Mulder's look.

"Sure we are. We're away from prowling eyes. We can do what we want, as long as we solve the case," Mulder told her with a glint in his eyes, as he led her out of the shop.

Xander shook his head at his friend's antics. Hoping that just maybe something might break the wall they use to keep their feelings in check. He looked back to the table to find two sets of glares on him, one from Buffy and the other from Oz.

"What did you tell them Xander?" Buffy demanded to know.

"I told them what they needed to know. We're partners Buffy and we don't hold back needed information," Xander said, reminding himself to stay calm.

"That wasn't your secret to tell," Buffy hissed.

"Maybe not, but they can be trusted not to tell anyone else," Xander replied.

"We don't even know them," Oz spoke up, glad to see Buffy seemed to be angry at Xander's return.

"But you know me and if I say they can be trusted then they can be trusted.

"You've been gone for five years Xander. You abandoned us so why the hell should we trust you?" Buffy demanded to know again, standing up not noticing her mothers and Giles's frowns.

"I didn't abandon you as you so elegantly put it. You drove me out," Xander said, coming to his feet as well, happy to finally be able to face his accusers.

"Oh and how did we do that?" Oz asked.

"Stop it," Willow shouted, coming to her feet "both of you stop it, leave him alone," she glared at her friend and former boyfriend.

"Willow?" Buffy started.

"No, just shut up," Willow told her, raising her voice. "I've tried countless times to get you to face the truth of what happened, but you always dismiss it or ignore me. We forced Xander out of Sunnydale. We blamed him for what happened, to me and Oz and Cordelia when I was just as much to blame. I knew exactly what I was doing, but I let my guilt cloud my judgment and I forced my best friend, my soul mate, to leave me." Willow's voice grew as five years of pain and anger finally exploded. "We took everything Xander knew and cared about from him, his friends, his home and his place helping us deal with the vampires. We had no right to treat him like that. We should have handled things better," she finally collapsed back into her chair.

Joyce, Tara and Giles all looked to where Willow now sat with her eyes closed, trying to fight the tears that were threatening to spill out. Buffy just gaped at her friend, having no idea she had felt like this for five years. Why hadn't she listened?

Riley just kept quiet, knowing this had nothing to do with him, Oz just growled and stormed out of the shop. The phrase Willow had used to describe Xander 'her soul mate' bouncing inside his head.

Xander placed his arm on Willow's shoulder, touching her for the first time in five years, Willow instantly stood up and pulled him into a fierce hug.

"We need to talk alone," she whispers to him.

He nodded and quietly led her out of the magic shop.  
7\. Chapter 7

X-File Sunnydale Chapter 7

 

Willow could hardly contain her joy at being close to Xander again. The five year gap had not diminished her feelings, but made them stronger and heightened her awareness of him.

She could tell Xander was also happy to be near her again. She could almost feel his joy radiating of him. She smiled and was glad he felt the same way as her. Maybe just maybe things weren't too late for them to fix.

"I'm sorry," he finally spoke, breaking the silence that had been over them since leaving the magic shop. "I should never have left," he added not daring to look at her.

"It's ok Xan, I understand why you left. I let my guilt over cheating on Oz rule me. I should never have become involved with Oz while I was in love with you and I always was," she told him, "and always will be," she whispered quietly to herself. "I should have made things right and told you the truth," she said with conviction.

Xander nodded as he brought them to one of the benches and they sat, Willow followed pleased that she could see his face.

"Things got too complicated back then. We all had too much on our shoulders and we let our feelings out at the wrong moment," Xander said with a sigh.

"At least we were honest with each other for those few weeks, Xan," Willow said, taking his hand in hers. "I was the one who pushed the blame on you, because I couldn't handle the guilt," she finished.

"It wasn't your fault. I should have known better, I should have kept my feelings to myself and no let them out. You were happy with Oz and I destroyed your relationship with him and nearly got Cordy killed. I deserved it, for all the years I hurt you Will, for ignoring the way you felt about me. I didn't want to acknowledge it," he admitted.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

"Fear," he answered simply.

"Of what?" she asked surprised by his answer.

"Of losing you, sometimes even the best relationships fall apart. I was afraid if we ever got together things might not work out and we lose our friendship. I couldn't deal with that, so I did everything I could no to let my feelings out. I buried them deep inside myself and although it was hard I made sure not to see the love you held for me."

"When you went into that coma, I couldn't help letting my feelings out. I admitted I loved you and when you woke up, I was so glad, but then you called for Oz and it was like a wakeup call. I buried my feelings again, but this time they wouldn't stay buried. When homecoming came I couldn't help what happened, you were so beautiful in your dress. I was blown away," he informed her.

Willow smiled at the compliment, but she was reeling from his admission about telling her he loved her when she was in the coma.

"I... I always thought it was Oz who told me he loved me. That's why things got more serious between us. If I had known, I'd never have stayed with Oz," she admitted. "We let our fear control us too much, Xan," she said with a shake of her head.

"Yeah we did, especially me. It was hard being away from you for so long. I wanted to come back and see you, but I was afraid you hated me."

"I could never hate you Xander. That's impossible," she said looking into his eyes.

"I could never hate you either," he told her with a small smile.

*

12:45 PM Bucky's Fondue Hut

Mulder and Scully sat across from each other having just finished lunch. They had spent a fruitless morning interviewing family members of the victims.

Mulder was enjoying just sitting with his partner and friend. He always enjoyed these rare moments when they could just relax a bit in each other's company. He leaned back in his seat sneaking a few glances at Scully when he could.

No matter where they were or what they were doing he always found her stunning, sometimes he found it hard not to stare at her. He shook his head and wondered how things were going for Alex. He hoped his friend was settling his past problems.

"Do you think Alex is getting on all right with his friends?" Scully asked, mirroring his own thoughts.

"I hope so. Most of them seemed pleased to see him, except for Mrs. Summers daughter and that other guy, I think that was Oz."

"He may cause some trouble, but Alex can handle himself. You realize Alex may want to leave the X files and spend some time in the Los Angeles field office if he and Willow get back together?"

"Maybe," Mulder agreed. "If he does it'll be hard to say good-bye. He's one of my best friends."

"Yeah mine too," Scully nodded.

*

Buffy sat at the table still fuming over what had happened between her and Willow. Xander's return had caused havoc. She honestly hadn't known Willow had felt the way she had. She had seen the anger and pain in her friend's eyes when she exploded. Oz's reaction to some of what her friend had said had been expected, especially the bit about Xander being her soul mate, she had seen how badly that had hurt him.

She looked to where Tara sat talking with her mother, both seemed very glad to have Xander back, so did Giles, who was busy making everyone some tea.

Riley still looked a bit confused over everything that had just transpired, she couldn't blame him really. She had never really explained things to him, when it came to the past she was never very clear.

"You ok Buffy?" Riley asked a bit concerned about his girlfriend.

"Yeah I'm fine, just thinking," she replied, trying to give him a reassuring smile.

***

Two men wearing black trench coats walked quickly towards the butchers shop making sure no one could over hear them.

"They've been snooping around the family's, hoping to find some clues," the first reported.

"You better hope you removed anything linking them to the shop or the old man will put you on the menu."

"I have, I made sure there was no evidence left behind," the first answered.

"You just remember if this plan fails we're all history," the second warned.

The first just nodded, hoping he had removed all the evidence, he knew Mulder and Scully had a knack for finding clues, no matter how deep they're buried.  
8\. Chapter 8

X-File Sunnydale Chapter 8

 

Giles sat at the table reviewing the reports Alex and his partners had brought with them. Sadly there was not much to go on in it, but it did give him a few more ideas. He looked over to where Joyce and Tara sat and were talking about Xander's return and the hope they had that now Willow could finally find some peace.

He too shared that hope, only Oz remained a problem. After a small argument with her mother, Buffy had agreed that Xander did belong here and that she would do nothing to get in the way of Willow and Xander getting together. Riley still seemed somewhat confused about the whole situation concerning Xander and Willow. They still hadn't told him the whole thing in detail, but they didn't have the time right now. Hopefully, once they solved this recent set of murders and Xander and Willow finally sorted out their own problems then maybe they could all sit down and talk.

The door opened to reveal Xander and Willow returning. Everyone noted that the two were holding hands and were smiling. They quickly made their way to the counter and sat next to Tara and Joyce, who both sported wide grins.

Giles shared in their happiness, as it was clear they had indeed sorted through their problems. Giles stood up and made his way over to them.

"Found anything Giles?" Willow asked, sounding a lot better than when she had left the store.

"Nothing concrete, the only similarity I can find is that they all were customers of the new butchers shop and they all became customers in the same week," Giles replied. "So maybe we should check out this new shop?" he suggested.

"Sounds like a plan, but I doubt we'll find much there," Xander nodded in agreement.

"Sometimes the answer can be in the most obvious place Xander," Giles reminded him.

"True, but with some of the cases I've been on, since joining the X files department, the answer always seems to be hard to find," Xander told him.

"As it is sometimes here, but this is all we have right now. Maybe you should contact your partners and have both of them met us here, so that we can lay down some kind of plan?" Giles replied.

"No problem," Xander replied, finally releasing Willow's hand, which he had been holding the entire time. "Back in a minute," he whispered to her, before moving to the door and pulling out his cell phone.

Tara and Joyce quickly subjected Willow to multiple questions about what had happened when they had left the shop.

She couldn't keep the smile of her face as she related what had happened between them.

***

Mulder switched off his mobile, as he finished talking with Alex.

Scully had been watching him the entire time, looking for signs of what might be up.

"That was Alex. He said we should head back to the magic shop. Seems like they have a few ideas on where to start our search," he told her, as he removed his wallet and put down the money to pay for the bill.

"Did he say what they'd come up with?" Scully asked, as she stood ready to leave.

"No, guess he was a bit busy or maybe a little distracted," Mulder replied, with a suggestive smile.

"Mulder," Scully said with a shake of her head, although she couldn't help but smile as well, hoping Xander had sorted out some of the problems he had come here to solve, along with the murders.

"Let's go," Mulder said as he guided Scully to the door.

***

Sunnydale Bus Depot

"Hold it Krychek," Doggett shouted as he and his partner, Monica Reyes, continued to chase the former FBI agent. They had been trying to catch him since they had flown to Florida in search of him. He had managed to give them the slip every time they got close to him and yet for some reason Doggett couldn't help but feel that he had leaded them here on purpose.

"Stop that man," he heard Monica shout as she noticed two security guards coming to check out the noises. "FBI, stop him," she added, hoping that would get them to react faster.

The two security guards reacted faster than they thought and quickly jumped Krychek, as he tried to barge past them; the two agents came to a halt just in front of them.

"Thanks," Doggett said, as he caught his breath.

"Doesn't matter now, you're here," Krychek told them with a smile.

"You wanted us here for what?" Monica asked, as she slapped her handcuffs on him.

"His plans are all centered here. If we stop him from succeeding then it's over for him," Krychek replied. "The syndicate will be finished," he added. "But it'll take more than just Mulder and Scully to stop him this time," he continued.

"Alex is with them as well," Monica said without thinking.

"Still won't be enough, believe me what they're planning here could be very deadly to the world and it's something that must be stopped at all costs," Krychek told them with a shake of his head.

"Phone Mulder and get him to give us his location. We'll go to them and maybe then we'll see what's going on," Doggett told Monica.

"Ok," Monica replied as she removed her cell phone.  
9\. Chapter 9

X-File Sunnydale Chapter 9

"That was Monica," Mulder told Scully, as he placed his cell phone back inside his pocket. "They're here in Sunnydale, seems like Krychek led them here, so that they could help us. According to him, what's going on here is really big," Mulder explained.

"That's just great, Krychek here," Scully said, feeling the familiar stab of pain she always got when she thought of the man who had killed her sister Melissa.

"They're going to meet us at the Magic Shop," Mulder told her.

"Looks like this investigation just got all the more complicated," Scully muttered, hoping this new twist wouldn't cause any problems.

***

Alex looked up in surprise as John Doggett and Monica Reyes walked into the magic shop, along with a handcuffed Alex Krychek. He quickly got up from talking with Willow to see what was going on, just as Mulder and Scully entered as well.

"What's going on? What's he doing here?" he asked, giving Krychek a cold glare, as he passed him.

"He led us here, all the way from Florida, when we finally caught him at the bus depot he just smiled and told us it was his plan to get us here, said we were needed to help you shut down whatever the Syndicate is trying to start here," Doggett answered.

"Great, just great," Alex sighed, knowing whenever Krychek was around trouble always followed.

"Xander what's going on?" Willow asked from behind him.

"It's a long story, first let me introduce Special Agent John Doggett and Monica Reyes. They are also part of the X Files Unit," Xander answered.

"And the man in handcuffs?" Giles inquired.

"A former FBI agent and partner of Mulder, who betrayed him," Xander answered, giving Krychek another cold glare.

"I see," Giles said, removing his glasses and wiping them as he took in the information. "It would seem more is going on here than any of us knew," he mused.

"A lot more, believe me," Krychek told them.

"Let me guess, you know what they're planning, right?" Xander said.

"Most of it, I hacked into their computer system," Krychek replied. "And what they're planning, made even me afraid," he added seriously.

"Then sit down and start talking," Mulder said, pushing him onto a chair.

***

"Sir, we just got a report that someone has accessed some of the more secret files," a man reported in to the CSM.

"Do we know who?" he asked, as he lit up another cigarette.

"We think it was Krychek," the man replied.

"If it was, we must track him down and kill him, before he can warn Mulder," the CSM said with a glare.

"Why would he tell Mulder?" the man asked surprised.

"If he knows what we're planning then he knows what will follow, so he will try and stop us and his only way is to contact Mulder and his friends and hope they can stop us," the CSM answered. "Find him," he hissed, before turning and walking away, leaving the man confused and afraid of what would happen if he failed.

***

"So let's hear it," Mulder said as everyone was now seated at the table, including Oz who had returned to the shop, still looking annoyed and angry with Xander.

"I take it you know what's hidden underneath this place right?" Krychek started.

"The Hellmouth," Mulder said, remembering what Xander had already told them.

"Right, all sorts of strange creatures come here, powerful creatures," Krychek told them. "The syndicate has decided to use the black oil to take control of these creatures for their own purposes and to also make even more dangerous hybrids," he continued. "If they succeed, colonization will come even quicker and with the hybrids they hope to create here, we'll have no hope of stopping them," he finished.

"Exactly what is this black oil you mentioned?" Giles asked.

"It's an alien biological entity, which can control anything it comes into contact with," Mulder answered.

"Alien, yeah right," Buffy laughed.

"It's no laughing matter Buffy, it's very real and I've seen what it can do first hand," Xander said, grimacing at the memory. Willow noticed it and quickly grabbed a hold of his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze, causing Xander to smile in gratitude.

"He's lost it," Oz muttered, giving Xander a dark glare.

"No he hasn't, this stuff is deadly. We've had many encounters with it," Scully told them. "I'm a scientist, but I've seen this thing as well and I cannot explain what it is any other way," she added.

"If what you say is true, then it is imperative that we stop them any way we can," Giles said.

"Giles, you can't really believe them?" Buffy protested.

"Aliens are not that far a cry from demons and vampires, Buffy and I fear we cannot take a chance in not believing them. If what they say is true, we are all in danger and our duty is to protect the world from evil," Giles answered with a thoughtful look.

"What's this colonization you mentioned?" Tara asked.

"It's the day when aliens come to reclaim the planet, using the black oil to either turn mankind into a slave race or as a way to resolute the planet," Mulder answered. "Lately the black oil has mutated and instead of controlling the individual it's turned them into digestives for a new organism to grow," he added.

"This all sounds like something out of a movie," Riley said, with a shake of his head.

"Wish it was, but we've seen the evidence first hand guys. Believe us when we say it's true," Xander said seriously.

"Very well, I suggest we begin looking for any clues, as to where this syndicate of yours is set up," Giles nodded.

"Agreed," Mulder said.  
10\. Chapter 10

X-File Sunnydale Chapter 10

"So it's agreed, we'll all go on a quick patrol, just to prove to my partners that the Hellmouth is real and then we'll check out the butcher's shop?" Xander stated.

"Yes that sounds about right," Giles nodded in agreement.

"What about him?" Buffy asked, indicating Krychek, who was now sitting at the table no longer handcuffed.

"I don't totally trust him, but there have been times when we've had to help each other in the past and seeing as he is determined to end the syndicate, he'll help us," Mulder said, looking to where Krychek sat.

"Are you entirely sure of that Mr. Mulder?" Joyce asked, afraid for her family.

"I'm sure, by now the syndicate knows someone's hacked into their computers and I'm sure they'll have already guessed who it was. It's now in his best interests to help us stop them," Mulder explained.

"I'm not doing this just for us Mulder. I'm doing this for the world. I never wanted to see the colonization take place," Krychek said with passion.

"Then why did you betray me and why did you aid them?" Mulder asked.

"I felt I had no choice and at the time it seemed the right thing to do," Krychek answered Mulder.

"If he's coming with us on our patrol, then he will need to be armed," Riley spoke up. "A vampire would have him in a minute, if he was unarmed," he added.

"He can have a cross and a few stakes, that's it for now, until he proves he's really on our side," Xander said, standing up and began removing his tie and shirt. "If we're going on a hunt, these will not be needed," he said to the confused looks of the others.

"You know Mulder, he's starting to sound like you, when you talk about aliens, the way he goes on about vampires," Doggett said.

"It's my area, it's what I know," Xander explained. "No matter how much we've been through since I joined the X-Files, vampires and demons have always been in my blood. I hunted them when we had time off. I couldn't stop myself," he continued.

"You patrolled on your own? Xander that was rather foolish," Giles said with a frown.

"I know Giles, but like I said I couldn't stop myself," Xander replied.

"Guess it's lucky you joined the FBI and got some training," Riley said.

"It helped, but I know you really need someone to watch your back when you patrol, even a slayer needs help," Xander answered. "By the way here are extra clips for you guys. Each bullet has a compound in them that turns into a flare once it hits its target. It dusts vamps easily," Xander said to his friends. "Which is another reason I managed to survive patrolling on my own," he added.

"How did you come up with these?" Scully asked.

"I ran into a weapons expert just before I finished my training. I saved him from a vampire. Once I had explained what they were and what could kill them, he quickly came up with these special bullets as a way of repaying me for saving his life," Xander told them.

"That's cheating," Buffy complained. "I have to use stakes and swords and he gets special flare bullets."

"I think it's wise thinking myself," Willow quickly defended Xander.

"Anyway it's almost eleven and it's time to start our patrol I think. Buffy if you would get the stakes and crosses, just in case they run out of bullets," Giles said while standing up. "You never know what may happen, so it's always wise to be prepared," he told the agents.

"I agree with you there Mr. Giles," Mulder said, knowing none of the investigations they had been on had turned out how they expected them too.

***

The woman ran as fast as she could, from whatever it was that was chasing her. Every time she looked back she saw a flash of red, before the blackness returned. It had still been light when she had first seen it and she could have sworn she had seen a trail of black liquid run over its red eyes.

She thought she had lost it, but it was now clear to her that this thing wouldn't be got rid of so easily. She tried crying out for help again, but as before no one answered. She tripped unexpectedly and as she rolled over she saw the red eyes again, now standing above her. Before she could scream it attacked.

***

Mulder quickly looked around himself again, he had been on plenty of investigations and hunted many things even at night, but for some reason he felt oddly more unease. Scully, Krychek, Giles, Tara and Oz were with him, they had decided to split up and meet at the biggest cemetery in Sunnydale. So far they hadn't seen anything, suddenly his phone began ringing he quickly handed Scully his weapon as he pulled his phone out.

"Hello?" he said.

"Mulder it's me," Xander's voice came though. "We've just found a body. It looks like she's been killed by the same thing as the others, we're at Barrack Cemetery, you better get over here," he added, before the phone went dead.

"Who was it Mulder?" Scully asked, as she handed him his gun back.

"Alex, he said they've found another victim at Barrack Cemetery, he wants us over there," he told them.

"Barrack Cemetery is this way," Giles said as he began to lead them to the left.

"Hold it Giles," Oz suddenly called out, as he raised his stake into a ready position.

"What is it?" Giles asked, as the others all prepared themselves.

"Something is coming from over there," he pointed to a large bush.

"How do you know that?" Krychek asked a bit confuse.

"Oz has heightened senses," Giles said, careful not to let out the fact that Oz was in fact a werewolf.

Suddenly two shadows jumped from the bushes and knocked Giles and Scully over. The others quickly ran over to help, as Scully managed to squeeze of a round, but it hit nothing.

"Scully are you OK?" Mulder asked quite concerned.

"I think so. I didn't see what hit me," Scully replied, as she stood up.

"Giles are you OK?" Tara asked as the watcher pushed himself to his feet.

"I believe so, did you see where they went?" he asked.

"They're headed for Barrack Cemetery," Oz said, before turning and running off.

"The others," Mulder realized, quickly running after Oz. The others were close behind him.

***

Xander ducked the swing from the vampire, as he pulled his stake from his belt and quickly rammed it through the vampire's chest and watched in satisfaction as it turned to dust. He turned to see Willow cast a fire spell on another vampire and noted her witchcraft had improved greatly.

Doggett and Reyes were firing their standard issue weapons at the three vampires, which were still closing on their position. Monica managed to hit one in the chest. The bullet quickly turned into a flare, as the compound reacted and turned the vamp into dust. The other two turned and ran away, knowing this fight was over.

"You're getting pretty good with your spells, Willow," Xander said, as he approached her, causing the witch to smile.

"Tara's been teaching me," Willow explained, as Xander quickly reclaimed her hand, causing her smile to widen.

"I don't believe it," they heard Doggett exclaim.

"Seeing is believing, John," Monica said as she smiled at the look on her partners face.

Suddenly two howls echoed through the night, as Xander and Doggett were tackled to the ground by shadows.

Willow screamed as she caught sight of a pair of red eyes that quickly turned black.  
11\. Chapter 11

X-File Sunnydale Chapter 11

Xander tried to push the creature off him, but it was too heavy: he could barely move his hands. He heard Willow's scream as the creature went for his throat, only to be flung off him when two gunshots echoed through the cemetery.

He looked up to see that Mulder and his team had arrived. Two more gunshots rang out, knocking the one that had attacked Doggett into a nearby grave.

Willow ran over to help him up, as Buffy attacked the first creature.

"Are you ok?" Willow asked concerned.

"Yeah, just scratched my chest when it smashed into me," Xander replied. "John are you ok?" he added, looking back to where Monica was helping Doggett up.

"Not to bad," he answered.

"Look out," Giles shouted.

His warning came too late, as the second creature charged again, heading straight for Willow.

Xander pushed her aside and pulled his last stake. Ignoring the shouts from Willow and the others, he moved to intercept the creature. Now that he and Willow were together again, there was no way that he was going to lose her. At the last second he jumped to the right, pivoted on his left foot and as the creature's momentum carried it past him, he attacked it from behind.

Xander tried to ram his stake into the creature's heart, but was too slow and was knocked backwards by the creature's powerful swing.

As he tried to climb to his feet Buffy smashed into him knocking them both backwards.

Willow ran forward and raised a barrier in front of them. "It won't last long, but it'll help deflect the creature's attacks."

"Thanks," both replied, as they prepared to attack again.

+++

Mulder watched as Xander and Buffy battled the creatures that had attacked and was surprised how they both managed to hold their ground. What really surprised him was that every time the creatures struck back, their claws seemed to bounce off an invisible shield.

"How's that possible?" he heard Dana ask.

"It's a simple barrier spell," Tara replied.

"Magic?" Dana asked skeptically.

"Hold it, vampires behind us," Oz suddenly cried out, as he grabbed his stake and turned only to be knocked down by a vampire.

Mulder, Giles, Krychek and Riley were attacked as well. The others backed off, as three more vampires showed up.

"Look at their eyes?" shouted Monica.

"The black oil, they're being controlled," Dana hissed, as she slapped a new clip into her gun. "It's an ambush. I think the syndicate is trying to eliminate us, once and for all," she added.

"We can't shoot the ones Mulder and the others are fighting, but we can take care of the reinforcements." Doggett told them, as he began to run to engage the three approaching vampires. Monica and Scully moved to back him up.

+++

Xander ducked the swing from the creature with trained ease, but he was beginning to tire. The first attack from the creature had done more damage than he'd admitted to Willow. It had cut deep into his left leg and from all the ducking and diving he had done it was weakening him. Buffy was doing much better, but then he expected as much, as she was the Slayer.

"Xander duck," he suddenly heard Willow shout.

Acting on instinct he ducked and rolled away from the creature, just in time to see Willow and Tara unleash a powerful attack. It was like watching two fireballs explode out of nowhere, they streaked quickly at the creature that couldn't move fast enough and was quickly annihilated. The second creature turned as the explosion and light spread from where the first one had been, distracting it long enough for Buffy to slam her stake into its chest, with enough force to turn it upwards, piercing its heart and killing it instantly.

"Thanks Willow," Xander said, before collapsing, no longer able to hold himself up.

Willow and Tara ran to check on him and Buffy soon joined them. Tara was the one who noticed the deep cut in his leg.

"We've to get him to the hospital, Buffy," Tara said seriously.

"You guys get him there now. I'll help the others," Buffy ordered, before charging into the vamp, that was attacking Giles.

"Let's go Willow," Tara said.

"Wait a sec," Willow replied, as she tore the bottom of her shirt and tied it around Xander's leg to slow the blood loss. "Okay let's go," she nodded to Tara, as she grabbed Xander's legs, while Tara grabbed his shoulders and began to move him towards Riley's car.

+++

Buffy didn't even bother to alert Giles to her arrival, she just jumped right over her watcher and kicked the vampire straight in the face, knocking it backwards. Before it could recover Buffy staked it.

As she caught her breath three gunshots were heard.

Monica, Scully and Doggett had all fired at the same time to take out the three vampires that were approaching them.

"Someone help," Krychek shouted as his stake was knocked from his hand and then was tackled to the ground and unable to move.

Buffy charged into the vampire, sending it backwards. Jumping to her feet she turned and landed a fast spinning kick keeping the vampire off balance, as Riley was flung right past them. Concentrating on the fight and not her boyfriend was difficult, but she knew Riley could handle himself. The vampire attacked again and she ducked, then brought her leg up, connecting with the vampire's jaw knocking it out cold. She silently walked over to it and staked it, as Oz finally managed to take out the one he was dealing with.

She heard another gunshot and noticed Scully had rushed over to help her partner.

Mulder was now on the ground holding his arm and clenching his teeth in pain. She shook her head knowing it could have been worse. She turned to help Riley only to see him finally stake the vampire he had been fighting.

"It's over. I think that's enough hunting for tonight," Giles said, as he walked over to her.

"Yeah I agree, we'd better get to the hospital to check on Xander."

"It would seem like Mr. Mulder also requires some medical care," Giles pointed out.

"Let's go," Buffy sighed knowing it was going to be a long night.  
12\. Chapter 12

X-File Sunnydale Chapter 12

Sunnydale Memorial Hospital

Buffy led the others into the hospital and noticed Willow and Tara were sitting in the waiting area, both seemed to be calm, which meant Xander's injury wasn't too serious.

Scully escorted Mulder straight to a nearby cubicle and began to stitch up his arm, after she showed the receptionist her badge and told her she was a doctor. The others sat in the waiting area, most of them hoping they wouldn't be here too long.

"How is he?" Giles asked Willow, as he sat down next the two witches.

"The wound wasn't too bad, but he's lost quite a bit of blood from all the ducking and diving he did, so they're gonna keep him overnight," Willow explained. Her relief that Xander wasn't too badly hurt was written clearly across her face.

"That's good to hear," Giles nodded.

"Did you mange to kill the other vamps?" Tara asked quietly.

"Yes we got them all," Giles informed them. "Mr. Mulder took a bad wound on the arm, but Miss Scully seems to be a very good doctor as well as an FBI agent," he added.

"Krychek almost got his head ripped off," Riley commented as the former FBI agent stayed near the doors, keeping an eye out for any of the CSM's men.

"Almost, but Buffy got there in time. I think we did very well considering," Giles said, while removing his glasses and polishing them with his handkerchief before putting them on again.

"Considering what? It was a normal hunt," Buffy countered.

"Not according to Miss Scully and the other agents. All the vamps and those two demons that attacked were been controlled by this black oil they mentioned, and to them it was clear why they attacked," Giles rebuffed her.

"Which was?" Willow asked, beginning to worry for Xander's safety.

"To eliminate them, so that they couldn't stop whatever plans this syndicate, they mentioned, has put into motion." Giles answered.

"So Xander and his friends have a target on their backs?" Oz asked, knowing if he was right then that target would also be expanded to encompass them as well.

"I believe so," Giles replied.

"Great, thanks to Xander and his friends we're gonna be targets as well," Oz said as loudly as he dared.

"That's one way to look at it, but when are we not targets when we are combating the forces of darkness?" Giles pointed out.

Oz just looked at him with a frown and then stood and walked over to where Krychek was standing. Everyone could tell that he still didn't like the fact, that Xander had returned and now with this added danger his anger was even worse.

"So what's next Giles?" Riley asked.

"We still have to check out the new butchers shop, but I think we should leave that for tomorrow night," he answered. "We are all tired and need some rest," he pointed out.

"I'm staying here," Willow said, before anyone else spoke.

"I'll be staying too, just in case," Tara added, knowing her friend needed her support.

"I thought as much," Giles said with a small smile. "In that case I'll be staying as well. The rest of you should head home and get a good night's sleep," he added while standing up.

"You sure, Giles?" Buffy asked.

"Positive. I take it you and Miss Reyes will be requiring some place to stay?" he asked, turning to Doggett.

"We'll be staying at the same hotel as the others. I guess that means Krychek will as well," John said, looking to where Krychek and Oz still stood.

"Very well, I'll see you all tomorrow," Giles said, as he noticed Scully and Mulder coming towards them.

He filled them in on what they had decided and after a brief agreement from a very tired Mulder they left, leaving Giles and the two witches alone.

"Thanks for staying with us Giles," Willow said, as she leaned her head on his shoulder, as he sat back down.

"Anytime, you've just got him back and I know you'll do anything to stay near him now," Giles answered with a smile.

"I can't lose him again, it would kill me," Willow confessed.

"I know. If we can stop this syndicate here, then whatever battle Xander and his friends have been fighting for the last five years will be over and that means he won't have much reason to leave," Giles explained.

"So maybe he'll want to stay?" Willow asked hopefully.

"I hope so," Giles replied, as he felt Tara rest her head against his other shoulder. "Now get some sleep, both of you. I'll wake you if there is any news."

In a few minutes the two witches had indeed fallen asleep. He sighed, hoping his analyses of the situation had been correct. He knew if Xander was intent on leaving again, that Willow would most likely go with him, but if she stayed then it would indeed destroy her. He wondered why all of them had such problems with romance?  
13\. Chapter 13

X-File Sunnydale Chapter 13

 

Xander slowly opened his eyes as a small stab of pain ran up his left leg. The fight came back to him and he knew he had gotten off lightly. He looked around the room and noticed he was most likely in good old Sunnydale hospital. He had many memories of this place and none of them were good ones.

He remembered watching over a pale faced Willow after she was put into a coma during the Acathla business. He remembered coming to see Giles after he was knocked out during the glove of Myneghon incident, where he and Willow kissed with so much passion he felt as if he had flown to heaven.

He tried to sit up and barley made it without wincing in pain. His leg still hurt, but he had dealt with much worse since joining the X-Files unit. His continued hunts for vampires and demons when he had time had not led him into so much trouble before. It reminded him of just how dangerous this world could be.

+++

Giles yawned, as his eyes slowly opened. He must have dropped off during the night. He noticed Willow and Tara were still asleep, using him as their pillow. The sight caused him to smile. Unfortunately there was a drawback. He couldn't stretch and his arms and back were killing him, sighing he decided to just bare it out. It wasn't often he got to see his two young friends so peaceful, especially Willow, but with Xander's return it was clear, that her soul was now more at peace. His only question was would it last? He knew that depended on Xander and whether he would stay or leave.

A movement to his left alerted him to Willow finally waking up. He looked down to see the young witch rubbing her eyes and yawing, before looking at him. He smiled as he noted what was on her mind as soon as it cleared. She wanted to go and check on Xander.

"He should be awake by now. Go ahead I'll be along as soon as Tara wakes up," he told her quietly.

"Thanks Giles," she replied with a smile, before getting up and heading for Xander's room.

Giles smiled and shook his head at Willow's enthusiasm. It seemed as if the Willow of old, before Xander left was back.

+++

Scully woke to find she had fallen asleep in Mulder's arms, surprised that she was in her partner's arms she just stayed there. She thought back, recalling how she'd ended up here. She remembered Mulder being injured during the patrol.

After she had stitched him up, they had come back to the motel. Mulder had been complaining about a headache, so she had stayed in his room to keep an eye on him. They had been watching a late night movie and she had noticed Mulder had already fallen asleep. She decided to indulge in the moment and had laid her head on his chest. Smiling somewhat, as she remembered feeling safe in his arms as she had woken up. She hated the rules that kept her from expressing her feelings for her partner. Her mother had been on her case since she had returned from being kidnapped by the syndicate. In fact, except for her brother Bill, her entire family had liked Mulder and believed he was the one for her to marry.

Sensing a movement from behind her she tried to look as if she was still asleep, she couldn't face Mulder right now. She knew without a doubt she would be blushing from head to toe. She sensed his hesitation as he noticed her spooned against him. Slowly she felt his hand push some of her red hair back to which it had fallen over her face. She could barely keep herself still, as his hand stroke her cheek before pulling away.

Mulder cursed himself for taking such a risk. If Scully had woken up while he was stroking her cheek and gazing at her unguarded, he would then have to explain how he really felt for her. Shaking his head he slowly got up, so not to wake his partner and headed for the bathroom intent on taking a shower.

+++

Xander couldn't help but smile, as Willow entered his room. He had missed looking at her face every day. It had always brightened his days and gave him strength to continue in the fight. He didn't know how he survived without her for five years, but he knew, he wouldn't survive without her again. His heart wouldn't allow itself to be separated form its soul mate again.

"Good to see you awake," she said, sitting down next to him on the bed.

"Sorry that I hid my injury from you. I didn't wanna worry you," he replied sheepishly.

"It's my right to be worried about you," Willow shot back, grasping his hand in hers.

"I know, I just couldn't help it. I've never been able to stand seeing you upset, you know that," he replied absently, drawing her closer.

Willow just nodded, suddenly realizing Xander was pulling her towards him, without even knowing it. Her heart began to beat faster, as she remembered the kisses they had shared in the past.

Xander finally couldn't take it, he leaned forward to kiss her.

Willow met him halfway, knowing the time was finally right for them to be together.

Pulling apart only when lack of oxygen became a problem, they kept their eyes locked on each other as the hold on to each other.

"I love you," they said at exactly the same time.

***

Outside the room Giles and Tara both watched the scene with wide smiles on their faces, knowing their friend would be all right. She had found her soul mate and together they would know completely happy. They turned and headed to the phone to let the others know everything was all right.  
14\. Chapter 14

X-File Sunnydale Chapter 14

Xander walked into the Magic Box hand in hand with Willow and Tara and Giles entered soon after them. Everyone noticed how happy the two looked.

Joyce smiled maternally glad to know Willow's pain was finally over. Buffy looked also happy for her friend. She had decided to put the past behind her and would not get in the way of them being together.

Only Oz looked on in disgust, he hated to acknowledge that he had lost Willow to Xander Harris. Unnoticed by the others he turned and left the shop through the back door.

Xander nodded at Mulder. He noted that both Scully and Mulder looked somewhat uneasy with each other and he wondered what had happened. Krychek seemed his usual self, whilst Monica and Doggett seemed tired. He guessed they had stayed up during the night, talking about what they had seen during the patrol.

"So now what's the plan Giles?" Buffy asked, as everyone sat down.

"We check out the butchers shop, as we discussed last night, but after what happened I suggest none of us walk or patrol Sunnydale alone. That includes you and your friends Xander," Giles answered, still a little stiff from being used as a pillow by his two friends.

"I agree, those things were really strong," Mulder spoke up. "They were definitely under the control of the black oil, which makes them even more dangerous than they usually are," he added.

"How so?" Riley asked.

"In the past those infected have sometimes transferred the oil to others," Scully answered. "If any of us got corned it would be possible for the creature or human to transfer the oil to us," she continued.

"How?" Giles asked, disliking this black oil more and more.

"The oil takes a host by entering the skin and moving up into the eyes and nose of the victim, when it transfers the oil just seeps out of the eyes and nose onto its new victim and from there it enters their eyes and nose, taking control of them," Mulder explained.

"That's horrible, that's worse than half the things we've seen on the Hellmouth," Tara exclaimed.

"Have any of you been taken by the black oil before?" Buffy asked, suddenly worried any of them including Xander could be under its influence.

"Only me and Krychek, I was infected when I was in Tunguska trying to find answers to a case we were on. Krychek was infected during another case," Mulder answered. "It affected us both badly."

"Giles how do we know they're not still under its control?" Buffy asked, now more concerned about the issues of trust.

"They aren't, the black oil that took over Krychek left his body, after it had used him to find its spacecraft, as for Mulder he was only infected for a test on a vaccine the Russian consortium was working on," Scully explained to them.

"Russian consortium?" Riley asked.

"The syndicate we are dealing with is only the American base of operations. It expanded to most other countries, including Russia and England," Mulder told them.

+++

Oz continued to walk down the street, away from the Magic Box. His anger at Xander was growing as he thought of him holding Willow's hand and kissing her. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the black car coming up behind him or the two men in black trench coats who got out of it and begun following him.

As he turned into an alleyway, which led to the motel he was staying at, the two men ran forward and grabbed him. One of them placed a cloth over his mouth. Oz struggled for a few seconds before he passed out.

"Get the car now," the taller of the two ordered.

+++

"Where did Oz go?" Riley finally noticed the werewolf had vanished.

"I guess he must have left after seeing me and Xander come in, holding hands," Willow said, with a shake of her head.

"We have to find him quick, before the syndicate does." Buffy said quickly, standing up. "He doesn't know how dangerous the black oil is. They could kill or infect him."

"We'll split up into three groups that way we can cover more ground," Giles suggested.

+++

Oz woke slowly to the dull aching in his head. What happened? He remembered heading back to his hotel, hoping to get away from Willow and Xander. Then someone had jumped him, then nothing.

"So you're awake, Mr. Osborne," a cold voice spoke to his left.

"What do you want with me?" Oz asked, feeling fear and anger begin to build in him.

"We want to use you, to destroy your friends," the voice replied. "We're going to infect you with the black oil and then you're going to kill every one of your friends, starting with Mulder and his group and then you can take the others," the voice continued.

"No," Oz shouted and began trying to free himself.

"You can't escape, Mr. Osborne... do it," the voice told him.

A sound came from above Oz. He looked up to see a pipe centered right over his head. It sounded like something was moving through it, his struggling increased as a black substance suddenly came flowing through the pipe and landed on his face. He began to scream as he felt the substance begin to move, he continued to scream until the black oil had done its work. His eyes were covered with a black screen.

"Remember the plan. Make it look like you are just trying to capture him. They mustn't suspect he's infected," the voice spoke again.

"No problem sir, they're already searching for him," a second voice spoke up.

"Good, now go and don't make any mistakes," the first voice ordered.

***

Xander walked down one of the streets of Sunnydale, alongside Willow, Giles, Buffy and Joyce. It was like he had never left.

"Over there," Buffy suddenly cried.

They all looked to see Oz being attacked by two men in trench coats. He seemed to be weakening fast.

Buffy ran across the street, followed closely by Xander and Giles, the two men didn't see them coming, until Buffy knocked the taller of the two out cold. The second turned only for Giles to knee him in the stomach and then Xander elbowed him in the head, knocking him out too.

"Oz, are you ok?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, they came out of nowhere," Oz replied.

"Let's get back to the Magic Box," Giles said.  
15\. Chapter 15

X-File Sunnydale Chapter 15

+++

Giles went about making everyone some tea. Everyone, including the FBI agents, was somewhat jumpy after what almost happened to Oz.

Buffy was busying pacing the shop floor back and forth. Xander was holding onto Willow, who looked very scared, while Tara was talking with Joyce.

Riley was talking to Oz about the guys who jumped him.

The agents and Krychek were all in a small group, discussing ways of finding the syndicate's base of operations.

"Xander, this syndicate, how far will they go to prevent us from stopping their plans?" Giles asked, as he placed a tray of cups on the table.

"All the way Giles, they'll kill us without a second thought," Xander replied, tightening his hold on Willow.

"I see," Giles sighed, knowing this would be one of the worst struggles they had been involved in.

"This is just great, thanks a lot for pulling us into this one Xander," Buffy fumed, as she stopped pacing.

"Would you rather we hadn't shown up to let you know what the hell you were dealing with? They would have killed you as soon as they realized you were a threat to their plans. At least with us here, you have a better chance of surviving," Xander retorted angrily.

Buffy shook head, knowing Xander was right. This was not just a demon problem. This also involved dangerous men with a substance that could turn anyone into a slave. Buffy began to play the scenes of Oz's almost kidnapping through her mind and suddenly she began to get very nervous that it could have been a setup.

She quickly walked over to where the agents were sitting. They stopped talking, as she approached.

"Is there a problem Miss Summers?" Mulder asked.

"Is there any way to tell, if someone is infected by this black oil you told us about?" she asked.

"Only one, a coat of black seems to pass over the eyes every now and then why?" Mulder replied.

"The struggled between Oz and those two men looked staged to me, now that I think about it." Buffy answered, looking over to where the werewolf was sitting.

"We were just talking about that possibility... actually Krychek brought it up," Doggett told her, looking to the table, where Oz and Riley sat, for any signs of a threat

"What do we do?" she asked.

"If he is infected he will be very dangerous. A blow to the head will put him down, but then the black oil will leave the body and we'll need something to contain it in," Mulder spoke. He stood up, ready to move.

"I'll get Giles to find something," Buffy said, moving off to talk to the watcher.

"Mulder what if he isn't infected?" Reyes asked, standing up as well, followed by the others.

"He'll understand," Mulder said, walking over to talk to Xander.

+++

The CSM walked into the butcher's shop, which was the cover for their operations in the town. Time was running out for him. His health was failing, but he was determined to restart the project, so that everything they had planned for the last thirty years would continue.

"The plan is secure, I'm sure that kid we infected will take care of them," one of his men spoke confidently.

"He better or it's your head," the CSM spat, moving to his office.

"If he fails then what sir?" a second man asked, before he walked away.

"We send all of the infected vampires and demons after them. I want them dead," the CSM replied.

+++

Oz was about to stand when he was grabbed from behind and smacked hard over the back of the head, as he lost consciousness he saw the agents standing around him. The others watched as Oz's eyes seemed to suddenly fill with black water. Everyone stood back, as the black liquid drained to the floor.

A pool of the black oil began to move across the floor in what looked like black worms.

Mulder quickly shoved a large bowl over the oil, making sure to get it all and effectively containing it.

"Now what?" Giles asked.

"Just leave it there for now, until we can call in for some equipment," Scully answered.  
16\. Chapter 16

X-File Sunnydale Chapter 16

(Magic Box)

Xander watched as Scully ran her tests on the now dead black oil. The equipment she had ordered had arrived the day before and they had quickly gotten to work. So far there had been no more attacks and they had decided against anymore patrols, until they were ready. He had his weapons expert friend deliver a large quantity of flare rounds, as well as some extra hand guns. He had, along with Doggett, begun to train Giles, Oz and Buffy in their use. Willow refused as had Tara, both willing to rely on their magic. Oz had finally begun to calm down some and move his hostile feelings towards the syndicate for forcing him to become infected with the black oil, an experience Mulder and Krycheck could understand.

This had taken some of the stress of them all, as they were now all focused on ending the double threat of the syndicate and the aliens behind them. It was the consensus that if the syndicate was destroyed, there would be no colonization. Earth would be saved a very gruesome fate and for Mulder it would mark the completion of his crusade. It had been a long hard road for the man, his friends and allies he had picked up along the way no more so than Scully and now they were so close to ending it all, they could taste it.

At the moment Xander sat at the back of the shop, as the others did various things. He was thinking about what he was going to do ones the syndicate was dead and buried. Granted the X-Files department would still be open, as there are a lot of weird cases, which have nothing to do with the syndicate, however the question was did he want to stay now he had finally reunited with Willow and put his past behind him? He owed Skinner, Mulder and the others a hell of a lot, including his life. He would not be where he was without them, plus the fact that he liked being an FBI agent and having the power to truly help people.

Could he leave all of that behind for Willow? He would if it was necessary, but he doubted she would ask him to give it all up. Maybe she would agree to move to Washington or somewhere in between, getting her away from the Hellmouth would be a good thing, however he knew in his heart Willow would not leave Buffy and the others.

"You know, if you keep frowning like that Xander your face will get stuck like it," Joyce said with a smile, as she sat across from him. "Mind sharing what has you so deep in thought?" she inquired.

"Trying to work out what will happen, once all this is done Mrs. S," he replied returning her smile, as she, out of all of them, had been the most happiest, bar Willow, at his return as well as understanding why he had left. "I don't want to quit being an agent. I like it, I like being able to help people," he admitted. "And I don't know how to do that and be with Willow. I know she won't leave Sunnydale, not even for me," he continued.

"I think you are making things sound much stronger than they are. You and Willow are soul mates, something that is just meant to happen," Joyce told him gently. "Even a long distance relationship will work for you two, although I happen to think Willow would agree to buy a house closer to Washington or in the city so she can stay with you for a time," she added. "You both have come a long way and I think together you will come up with an answer in time, which will work for you both," she finished.

"Thanks Mrs. S," Xander said, nodding in agreement. "I think I needed to talk," he added, as Mulder called him over.

Joyce watched him go and shook her head, amused that even with all the changes he had gone through he was still the same young man he had been, when she had first met him. She smiled, as she remembered her first meeting with Xander and then switched to the day he left Sunnydale and from there to the day he returned. He had changed and become the adult she had always known he could be, however she was saddened he had been forced into it all those years ago.

+++

Xander listened as Mulder explained that they were going to hit the butcher's shop the next day, as hard as they could.

He had been on the phone the night before with Skinner and they had decided it was time to put this case and the syndicate to rest. They had been given the go ahead to shot to kill, as they had proof that the syndicate was trying to kill them, as well as the fact that they knew if they arrested the CSM and his crew they would just escape or bribe their way out of jail, just as they had before.

Mulder had seemed to accept the order with no problem, as had Scully. John and Monica seemed to be somewhat unsure, but willing to obey their boss. Krycheck seemed positively delighted by this turn of events and was working on cleaning the spare hand guns.

Xander tried to ignore the man, as he still did not trust his motives, even if he could accept that in Krycheck's mind he needed to help them to ensure his own survival and that at least made him an ally.

"If we do this Mulder, we have to ensure we get the CSM or he will just start this all over again somewhere else," Xander said seriously.

"I know Alex and I know once we do this there will be an investigation," Mulder responded. "But I've already talked to the others and Skinner agreed it is worth it, even if they shut the X-Files down. I can live with that, if we finally stop the syndicate," he added.

"I can't argue that, but we may end up losing our jobs as well," Xander pointed out.

"Still worth it," Mulder shot back, before walking over to Scully's side.

Xander agreed with Mulder's statement, it was worth their jobs, an investigation, hell even their lives if it meant Earth would be safe from the aliens and the syndicate that served them.

He looked across the room to where Willow stood talking with Buffy and Tara and he prayed he would survive the assault tomorrow.

+++

(Butcher's shop)

The CSM man stormed into the shop looking furious and his men inside looked nervously at each other, knowing that whenever the old man was pissed, it was better to be somewhere else. The entire plan was falling down around them and nothing they seemed to do could stop it.

"They'll be coming for us soon, so be ready to put each and every last one of them down permanently," the old man sneered at them, wanting nothing more than to see Mulder and every last one of his annoying allies lying dead before him. "Once they are done I'll take care of Skinner and finally put an end to it all. Then our plans can go ahead uninterrupted," he continued.

"Do we know how many will attack?" one of the men asked, with a trace of a Boston accent. "We've lost all the demons and vamps we had infected and we do not have time to get more," he reminded the old man.

"We shouldn't need them, our normal means of dispatching someone should suffice," the CSM responded before turning and storming back out of the shop.

"Damn, you know I think the old coot has finally begun to lose his marbles," the shorter of the men said with a shake of his head.

"Maybe, but he is still one dangerous piece of work," another shot back. "He is not someone you want to be messing with," he added with a threatening look. "Or getting on the wrong side off, if you know what is good for you rookie," the man spat, before leaving the shop, leaving the others to just look at each other.

+++

(Hotel)

Mulder watched as Scully paced up and down his room clearly trying to decide something, but he was not too sure what, just yet. He was just taking the chance to drink in her presence. Her beauty still astounded him, even today and her iron resolve even more. He had seen her at her best and worst and vice versa. She was the one person he was vulnerable to and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Fox," she said, startling him, as she had never used his first name, except once before. "You realize that if we manage to win all of this everything we've been fighting for will be over?" she inquired.

"Of course, Alex basically said the same thing and I told him if we managed it, it would be worth the investigation that followed and even if we lost our jobs, I would feel the same," he responded. "I know you like being an FBI agent Dana, but after all we've been through, being fired would not be so bad a thing," he stated, deciding to use her first name as well.

"Maybe it would," Scully admitted, after a few minutes silence. "For a lot of reasons," she added while locking eyes with him. "But what would we do if we are fired?" she asked him, moving closer to the bed he sat on.

"Take a very long vacation I think, as well as finally deal with some unresolved issues between us," he ventured with a hopeful smile.

Scully returned the smile as she noted Mulder was thinking the same things she was thinking about. She knew that tomorrow they would be risking their lives to safeguard Earth from a threat it did not even know exists and that any one of them could die. She was not willing to go without making love to her partner at least once in this life. She reached down and pulled the belt, which held her dressing gown closed, loose and shook the gown of her shoulders and onto the floor, leaving her in the black camisole she usually slept in, as well as a matching pair of black shorts.

Mulder almost swallowed his tongue, as he watched his partner remove her gown so easily. It was like something out of his best fantasies, but the look on her face was far more interesting to him that her body at the moment.

"I think we both know what we want Fox. I think we both know what could happen tomorrow," Scully told him, as she crawled onto the bed and moved towards him. "Make love to me Fox. Show me the future we both want," she almost begged.

Mulder could not refute her and quickly swept her into his arms and kissed her as deeply as he could. He felt almost giddy in finally being able to kiss the woman he loved. As they fell onto the bed, they both gave a silent prayer that they would be able to do this until far into the future.

+++

(Willow's House)

Xander ran his hands through Willow's hair as they lay on her bed, just enjoying being able to be together with no interruptions. They both knew tomorrow was going to be dangerous, but they were both determined to do what was necessary to stop the syndicate. He smiled, as he thought back to the time he had done this during the fluke business, which had led him to be forced out of Sunnydale. Back then, there had been an air of tension in the room, due to them cheating on their respective lovers, now there was no tension, just a lovely sense of rightness.

He wondered yet again just what the future would bring for him and his partners, with the syndicate dead for good. Would they manage to keep their jobs or would they all be fired, Skinner included, as he had given them the order to shoot to kill? There was one good point of him being fired and that was he could return to Sunnydale for good, with no problem. His friends could always visit him and he them.

Willow leaned up and kissed him passionately, making it clear by her body language just what it was she wanted. He stopped her for a minute and asked if she was sure. In reply she just smiled at him and kissed him again, silencing any doubts in his mind, as they began to lose themselves in each other.

+++

(Magic Box)

The next day everyone was up early and at the shop, readying themselves for action. They knew the Sunnydale PD would stay away, as they had learned long ago not to get involved anymore in the Slayer's dealings. The last time Stein had tried, he had ended up in hospital with two others, after trying to arrest Buffy's mother of all people. The police chief had just shrugged and told Stein to leave them alone once he got out.

Xander looked around and noted everyone bar Willow, Tara and Joyce seemed cool and collected, however he could see the nervousness in the three women. Not that he could blame them really. Some of them might not be coming back he thought before shaking his head and dismissing those kind of fears. He finished checking his weapons before he put them away and waited until the others were done.

"Ok, we are heading to the butcher's shop where, we now guess, the syndicate has to be operating from," Mulder said, as everyone turned to him. "So far every time we planned to go there we were forced away. Now we are going to hit them as hard as we can and we are going to shoot to kill. I know some of you are unsure about this course, but believe me if the CSM and his allies escape, they will continue the project and that could lead to colonization, which means end of the world," he explained the plan. "It has to end here for Earth to be safe, so don't hesitate and don't worry about been charged with murder, as our reports will show none of you were there. We'll take all responsibility of the deaths of these people. If you can still call them that," he continued with a frown.

"Are they any questions?" Scully asked tense and nervous.

Last night she had finally broken the barrier between her and her partner and finally admitted she loved him and he had done the same. They had made love twice before slipping into sleep. In the morning when she awoken the sensation of waking up with Mulder had been so warm and comforting that she had not wanted to leave, but she knew they had to and she intended to have the rest of their lives, to experience that as many times as she could.

"What happens once this is over?" Riley inquired, feeling pretty good to be carrying firearms again.

"We go back to Washington to face the music," Mulder answered tightly. "As for you guys, everything goes back to normal, as if we were never here," he added.

"Not everything," Willow interrupted with a firm gaze at Xander, who almost blushed at the look in her eyes.

Their night together had been special. Slow tender and loving. It was everything that should have happened years ago, still they were still together now and they both intended to share many nights like that, once this was done.

Mulder and the others all smirked or laughed at the red heads interruption, before quickly sobering and when no one else asked anything they began to head out of the shop.

As they came closer to the butcher's shop they all began to feel tenser before being forced to duck, as at least ten people came running out of the shop and began firing at them.

Mulder was hit in the shoulder as he moved, as were Xander and Krycheck. The others returned fire as Scully quickly began to clean out and bandage the wounds with the med kit Giles had brought with them. Once she finished they quickly joined the fire fight.

As was normal in Sunnydale, no one tried to find out what was going on at the edge of town and the police did not try to interfere once they knew the FBI agents and the Slayer's group was involved. Xander brought down one of the gunmen with a bullet right to the brain before being forced back into cover. Giles also managed to catch one in the gut, as did Riley and Doggett. Krycheck moved closer and managed to get two in the neck and chest, the spray of blood from the wounds making Buffy, Willow and Tara want to be sick.

Oz got up to move forward, only to be hit twice in the shoulder and leg as he did. He fell flat and cried out in pain. Scully quickly moved over to aid him. Willow and Tara shared a glance. They clasped hands and called on their magic. A huge wind picked up, as the witches chanted. It lashed out and knocked the remaining gunmen off their feet, which allowed Mulder and the others to move in and kill them, before any of them bar one could get back to their feet.

The last gunman turned to shoot Scully, as she ran towards Mulder. Only for Krycheck to come up behind him and blow his brains out, Scully paused, as she watched Krycheck save her life. He had been there when her sister had been killed, although he had not pulled the trigger. No, that had been his accomplice Luis Cardinal. Still she had harbored a hatred for the man, hating having to work with him, when called for. Now she did not know how to feel.

He could have allowed the gunman to kill her, as revenge against her and Mulder and make it look like he'd not had time to stop him. Yet he had moved fast and ended the threat, considering this may be the last time that they would have to deal with him, she decided putting that hatred away might be the best thing for her.

"Thanks Krycheck," she said, as Buffy finally threw up along with Willow at seeing a man's head explode.

"You are welcome," Krycheck responded. "I owed you that and far more for my mistakes," he added, frowning as Mulder nodded in thanks also. "I should have had the strength to resist like you did, but I chose to serve and I paid for that choice," he continued.

"Oh give it a rest Alex," a hard edge voice caused them all to turn around, just to find the CSM pointing a gun at Mulder and one at Krycheck. "You make it sound like I'm the devil," he sneered.

"You are. If any human could be classed as a devil, it would be you," Krycheck shot back with pure hatred running in his tone.

"Ha," CSM spat. "You think you've stopped me?" he asked. "Still not learned any lessons, have you? I don't fail. I will leave and I will start again and colonization will come," he shouted almost insanely.

His small rant however made him look away from Mulder and he, Krycheck and Scully brought their weapons up and began firing, joined a second later by Xander and Doggett.

CSM was riddled with holes, but he managed to fire his own gun twice before falling to the ground coughing up blood, as Mulder went down with another bullet in his side. Krycheck walked over to the dying man and aimed at his head.

"I hope you burn in hell," he spat, as he fired. Ending the life of the man who had destroyed his and hundreds of other lives.

Silence descended, as everyone began to realize exactly what they had just done. Buffy and her group felt the shock and horror, but for the FBI agents? All they felt was a sense of completion. Scully called up an ambulance and soon they were at the hospital. Mulder had to go into surgery, but the bullet in his side was removed, as was the one in his shoulder.

Xander, Oz and Krycheck also had their wounds seen to and the bullets pulled out of them.

They spent two days in the hospital, until they were released. Mulder had to stay a full week, before he was finally cleared. A final meeting was been held at the Magic Bop before they returned to Washington to face the investigation, that was already underway. Skinner had checked in with them and reported that he had been suspended, as had they, pending the findings of the investigation.

"How do you think it will go?" Giles asked, as he watched Xander and his friends prepare to leave, including Krycheck who had stuck around.

"Depends really on the evidence we bring back and we found quite a bit at the shop, after we took care of the syndicate," Scully answered. "Even if Krycheck testified I doubt they would listen to the truth, so we will do our best and see what comes," she added with a shrug. "If we get fired, we go at least with the knowledge we saved the world and did something amazing," she said confidently, to which the others nodded.

"You'll be back right?" Willow asked, as she walked over to Xander:

"Of course Wills. I'll be back," Xander said, as he drew her into a deep kiss. "I'll let you know how it goes," he said, before he turned around and left the shop, followed by the others.

"Do you think they'll make it Giles?" Buffy inquired, worried for her once again friend.

"I can't really say Buffy, however I think it is clear that Xander will be back, no matter what," Giles said with a smile. "We've dealt with a great threat. One we did not even know was there and stopped an even greater threat from ever becoming a problem," he said proudly.

Oz snorted, knowing he would not be remaining in Sunnydale and he already planned to leave within a few days. Willow was lost to him. That was clear now and he did not want to stay and watch her and Xander make out. He would find his own place and hopefully his own woman.

+++

(Washington)

Xander sighed as he packed up his desk, as did the others. He guessed he should not have been surprised that they were fired, but luckily none of them were been charged with murder.

All the deaths were been chalked up to self defense. The X-Files, strangely enough, were not shut down, as it would seem some of Mulder's silent supporters still wanted them open and so new agents were brought in. Mulder had been happy to know that their division would survive their departure. Skinner had been forced into early retirement, but even he did not seem to mind. Winning the war against the Syndicate and safe guarding the world was worth it, even to him. Proving yet again what kind of man he was.

Krycheck had actually faced the investigation as well, but as there was no evidence of his crimes he had been released. Scully and Mulder had been unsure how to feel about that. On one hand they wanted him to finally face justice and on the other they owed him for saving Scully. In the end they had decided to stay quite. Mulder had known Krycheck had killed his father, but in the end it would not have happened, had he not been ordered to do it by the CSM and even more so if his father had not been involved in the syndicate in the first place.

In the end Scully meant more to him than his revenge and so he had not done a thing. Time changes things and in the end saving Scully had earned Krycheck some trust, as he knew the man could have allowed the gunman to shoot Scully easily but he hadn't.

They had been talking about setting up a private investigation firm based in LA. Skinner had agreed to head it with the rest of them as the agents. Small plans were put into place and Xander had gotten hold of Cordelia and Angel, to help them find a large building for them to use. When he had actually called he'd had to stand at least five minutes of Cordelia ranting, before she would listen, as he explained the full story of his return and what he wanted.

He actually found himself looking forward to seeing them again, even dead boy. He chuckled at that, having not used that phrase for a long time. Willow had been excited at the news that he was coming back to live in LA, which of course was close to Sunnydale. When he had informed them of their plans, she had been even more excited.

Willow had agreed to become a sectary and computer expert for the new P.I firm along with Tara, who both needed decent jobs. Buffy had been a little put out, but knew she would still be able to call for their aid, should she need them, including new allies in Xander and his friends.

Krycheck was also joining the agency to atone for his sins. A long debate had gone on about this, but in the end Skinner had stated in no uncertain terms, that it at least allowed them to keep an eye on the man. Mrs. Scully on learning of them all moving to LA had also made plans to move, so that she could be close to her remaining daughter.

The news when it was broken that Mulder and Scully were now together had caused a party to be thrown by the majority of the Scully family and even Bill had finally given up any argument, once he learned the danger to his sister had finally ended and the man who had ordered Melissa's death was now dead.

+++

(X-Investigations, a year later)

Xander wondered if the changes in someone's life were supposed to be so fast. Mulder and Scully were soon to be married. Their agency had been a great success. Mulder had come up with the name wanting to stay loyal to the X-Files hence X-Investigations.

Sometimes they helped out Angel and his team, as well as Buffy and the crew back in Sunnydale, however they mostly dealt with human cases, hence their success rate was high considering their background.

His own relationship with Willow was still strong, but they were taking it slow. He was thinking of asking her to marry him next year. He had been talking to Joyce about it for some time and he was beginning to feel ready for that step. He stood and walked over to the window and looked out, feeling that his life was finally what it should be.

He looked up as Mulder and Scully walked in, hand in hand, laughing at some joke Tara was telling them, whilst Willow headed straight for him. He quickly pulled her into a hug and kissed her hard, before looking at the window again, as the rest of the team walked in. Yes the future he thought was really looking good as Willow laid her head on his shoulder.

The End


End file.
